Tuesday 5 November 2024
 10.3°C   SSE Moderate Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

News / Tavish’s oil spill concerns

According to BP the oil spilled from the Clair platform is breaking up naturally - Photo: MCA

SHETLAND MSP Tavish Scott has raised concerns in the Scottish Parliament over the environmental impact of the recent oil leak from the Clair platform.

Nearly 100 tonnes of oil was spilled into the North Sea from the BP rig on Sunday, which is located around 75 kilometres west of Shetland.

While the oil has started to disperse naturally, Scott questioned the impact of the leak during a Scottish Parliament session on Tuesday.

BP confirmed the oil was released as a “result of a technical issue with the system designed to separate the mixed production fluids of water, oil and gas” and that the spill lasted for less than one hour.

Scott said: “This is the first known leak at the Clair platform since it began production in 2005.

“I welcome the quick reaction of those involved. There are inherent risks in oil and gas extraction in the North Sea and west of Shetland both to the offshore workforce and the marine environment.

“In this case the weather appears to have broken up the 95 tonnes of oil in the sea and the wind direction at NNE has taken the sheen away from Shetland.

“The priority now must be to minimise the threat to seabirds and other marine life, understand why mechanical failure occurred and put in place measures to ensure this does not happen again.”

Scottish environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham said Marine Scotland, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and BP have all been assessing the impact of the leak.

Conservative MSP for West of Scotland Maurice Golden meanwhile asked the Scottish Government what plans they have to support a “large-scale decommissioning port in Shetland or elsewhere” to provide jobs.

Cunningham simply confirmed that the government is “always on the lookout for potential further development that may help the economy of Scotland.”

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Categories
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.