1.   And for operators facing the prospect of plugging and abandoning old wells and removing platforms, selling old equipment helps defray some of the costs.

2.   According to the oil industry, explosives are the most reliable, least costly and safest method available to remove platforms.

3.   But federal regulations require oil companies to remove the platforms and clean the sites once oil and gas production has ceased.

4.   Senior Vice President Inge Kvalvik said it would be an ideal warm-up for removing two platforms on the Norwegian continental shelf next year.

5.   Then the platform was removed, and the rats were sent back for another swim.

6.   Removing the platforms, normally required after production is finished, can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

7.   A spokesman for the junta said the platforms had been removed as past experience had shown they blocked streets and caused heavy traffic jams.