Ship to ship oil transfers threat highlighted

News from the Celtic League:

Proposed ship to ship oil transfers have been slammed by environmental groups in Scotland.

‘The proposed location is in the Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for bottlenose dolphin, and the proposed Moray Firth Special Area of Protection for a range of seabirds. Other European protected sites they say could be harmed by the operations include the Cromarty Firth, Inner Moray Firth and the Moray and Nairn 
‘Coast Special Protection Areas, as well as the Culbin Bar SAC.

The group said the recent oil spill from the Clair platform off Shetland and the stranding of the Transocean Winner off Lewis highlighted the potential for spills to occur.

‘Following major spills from oil tankers such as the Braer off Shetland, in 1993 and the Sea Empress off Pembrokeshire in 1996, the oil and chemicals used in the clean-up remained in the environment and caused toxicity to wildlife for many years. WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: “Ship-to-ship oil transfers are an unnecessary risk to Scotland’s important marine wildlife, where even a small leak could prove devastating for some species.

“Unless it can be shown how the marine environment will be protected, these proposals should be shelved. This is yet another example of the threats faced by nature as a result of addiction to fossil fuels, and underline why we must more rapidly transition to a zero-carbon future.”

Dr Sam Collin of the SWT said: “The need for further ship-to-ship oil transfers within the Cromarty Firth has not been fully explained nor has the choice of the proposed site been justified through any analysis of alternative locations.”

Full article here in THE NATIONAL Scotland:

http://www.thenational.scot/…/conservation-and-wildlife-gro…

BERNARD MOFFATT
pp Celtic League.

Sh