News / Oil spill pollutes beach outside terminal
AN INVESTIGATION has been launched into an oil spill outside the Sullom Voe Terminal in Shetland on Thursday evening.
Oil company BP, which runs the facility, said on Friday that between 100 and 150 litres of stabilised crude oil had escaped through a storm drain onto the beach outside the terminal’s main entrance near the construction jetty.
Sources close to the site said that the oil had passed from a “dirty drain” into a “clean drain” and the investigation will focus on how that happened.
Staff from the company have been busy collecting contaminated shingle and disposing of it in skips. Very little of the oil is thought to have entered the sea.
BP said the spill occurred at around 5.45pm on Thursday.
In a statement, they said: “The oil has been contained and clean up operations are being carried out by the terminal’s emergency response teams in liaison with Shetland Islands Council marine operations.
“It is expected that the bulk of the clean-up operation will be completed today (Friday).” Cargo loading and production at Sullom Voe has been unaffected by the incident, the company said.
Stabilised crude oil has had the hydrogen sulphide gas removed to make it safe for export on board tankers.
The Lerwick office of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency was informed of the incident and staff have been to inspect the site.
In February 2010 BP were found not guilty of being responsible for oily water being released into the sea after a trial at Lerwick Sheriff Court following a prosecution brought by SEPA.
A SEPA spokesman said they would await the outcome of BP’s report into this week’s incident before deciding whether to take the matter further.
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