( CNN ) -- Large volumes of gas continued Friday to gush into the North Sea from an offshore oil platform , with energy giant Total trying two divergent methods in hopes of stopping the leak . Scottish Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said Friday that authorities are prepared for the worst , but he added that it is believed that the `` gas condensate '' now flowing into the water `` will evaporate naturally into the atmosphere . '' `` As such , the current environmental risk continues to be minimal , '' Lochhead said . The Elgin platform sprang a leak Sunday , prompting the evacuation of 238 people from the platform and the adjacent Rowan Viking drilling rig , according to Total executive Philippe Guys . The leak seems to have started as workers were sealing the well in the North Sea , about 150 miles ( 240 kilometers ) east of the Scottish city of Aberdeen . Since then , energy company and government officials have weighed what to do about it , with one option being waiting for the gas to stop leaking on its own . On Friday , one day after announcing it had pinpointed the source of the leak , Total detailed its dueling approaches to stop it : blocking the outflow with `` heavy mud '' ( consisting of a mixture that contains mineral compounds ) and drilling a pair of relief wells . Until then , `` the leak remains ongoing , '' according to Guys . Gas is now gushing into the North Sea at an estimated rate of 2 kilograms per second , which translates to about 200,000 cubic meters per day . The North Sea was the scene of the world 's worst offshore rig disaster , the Piper Alpha explosion , which killed 167 people in 1988 . The Elgin leak has echoes of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 -- including the fact that both emerged as workers were closing off wells -- but there are differences . The Elgin is in shallower water than the BP spill , which could make problems easier to fix . And instead of oil , it is leaking gas , which can disperse faster but ignites more easily . `` This is nothing on the scale of the Gulf spill two years ago , '' oceanographer Simon Boxall said . `` This is a relatively light spill . The gas itself is dispersing quite rapidly . '' After Total 's share price fell sharply earlier in the week , it rebounded slightly on Friday with a 0.9 % gain . Guys , the executive from the energy giant , said Friday that `` all other '' Total wells in the vicinity are in `` safe condition , '' signaling that there is no expectation of further problems . Shell has also partially evacuated two of its nearby platforms , Shearwater and Hans Deul , as a `` purely precautionary '' measure , it said Wednesday . Satellites and spotter planes are being used to assess the latest spill , while several vessels are on standby nearby ready to help , Guys said . Lochhead , Scotland 's environmental minister , said he was `` pleased '' that `` more information '' on the incident had been released by Total and the British government . While expressing faith that the long-term impact on the environment should n't be major , Lochhead said that the hard work is far from over . `` We can not be complacent , and Marine Scotland is continually assessing the situation and scenario planning for all eventualities , '' Lochhead said . `` Additional scientific resources , manpower and vessels can be utilized at short notice , should the situation change . ''
Total 's Elgin platform in The North Sea began leaking gas on one day . Currently , 2 kilograms of gas a day are leaking into the water . two methods are being tried to stop it : drilling relief wells and plugging it up . A British official says the environmental risk appears to be minimal .