Forties crude flows again, but safety concerns linger

Continuing investigations by UK authorities into the temporary closure of a key North Sea pipeline network could signal further safety worries

The reopening of the 450,000-barrels-a-day Forties Pipeline System (FPS) linking North Sea fields to the UK mainland after a shutdown for emergency repair has helped ease pressure on global oil markets. But questions over the robustness of the country's ageing oil and gas infrastructure will inevitably arise as a result of the stoppage. FPS is one component of North Sea supply that sets the Brent oil benchmark—a fact that magnified the outage's impact and helped lift Brent above $65 a barrel on 11 December, a two-year high. Other forces have since pushed the price even higher. But the reopening of the pipeline at the end of December is not the end of the story. The decision by the UK safety