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Lundin North Sea Oil Platform Remains Shut After Fire (Update1)

By Vibeke Laroi

Nov. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Lundin Petroleum AB, a Swedish oil company, said the 5,000-barrel-a-day Thistle Alpha oil platform in the North Sea remains shut after a fire broke out in a turbine yesterday.

Lundin is looking into the cause of the fire and cannot say when the production of oil, used in the Brent blend, will resume, said Maria Hamilton, head of corporate communications for Lundin.

``It looks like the damage from the fire is fairly isolated to the turbine area,'' Hamilton said by phone today. No one was injured and nearby fields weren't affected, she said.

Most of the 116 non-essential personnel evacuated yesterday are expected to return to the platform today, Hamilton said. A crew of 43 stayed on at Thistle Alpha, which is located about 523 kilometers (325 miles) northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland.

Lundin is Thistle Alpha's operator and 99 percent owner, while BP Plc controls the remaining 1 percent.

To contact the reporter on this story: Vibeke Laroi in Oslo at vlaroi@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 26, 2007 07:01 EST

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