Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) -- BP Plc, Europe's second-largest oil producer, shut two platforms at fields in the Azeri part of the Caspian Sea after a gas leak. Exports weren't disrupted, the company said.

Gas was detected in the water around the Central Azeri platform at 9 a.m. local time today, Tamam Bayatly, a BP spokeswoman, said by telephone from Baku. The company later shut the West Azeri rig ``as a precaution'' and evacuated workers. Exports through the pipeline from Baku to Ceyhan on Turkey's Mediterranean coast continued as normal, she said.

``People are safe and the platforms are safe,'' Bayatly said. ``The source of the gas is unknown.''

The two platforms produce about 50 percent of the oil pumped from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields. BP and partners produce an average of about 850,000 barrels a day from the deposits, Bayatly said, adding that BP can't estimate the duration of the closure.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eduard Gismatullin in London at egismatullin@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 17, 2008 11:07 EDT