Oil Leak 7 Southwold

Five years after having STS imposed on them, the residents of Southwold are 79% opposed to STS prompting the Town Council to write to the Department of Transport asking for the order permitting STS to be terminated. Read for yourself HERE

It doesn’t look like its done much for the good people of Southwold’s tourist industry. The letter complains of minor incidents going unreported, unregulated tank cleaning and dispersants coating the bodies of swimmers – incidentally that letter was written before the incident in February 2016 when two tankers parted mid-transfer off Southwold causing the loss of “250Litres” of oil. Really? The MCA tell us that each hose contains 1 ton of oil – there were 4 hoses in use at the time of this accident so the minimum that was lost must surely be 4 tonnes? – that doesn’t even account for a pumping rate of 2 tonnes per second. 250L lost – really? Where is the investigation report?

The poor folk of Southwold have their STS transfers take place 12nM offshore and the majority don’t want it (60% voted, 79% against – a lot better turnout than most elections). The reply as far as we can see has not been published, but we will try and get hold of it as it it should be a matter of public record. The Moray Firth transfers will take place 1.5 miles from Cromarty and 4miles from Nairn – who in their right mind would want this – it creates NO jobs and can only do damage. When will the Cromarty Firth Port Authority start LISTENING to the communities that will be affected. Make no mistake Mr Buskie – we will stop this insane plan by any legal means. This is a masterclass in community dis-engagement from which the reputation of the Port Authority will take a long time to recover, if it ever can. It is the duty of the a trust port’s stakeholders to hold them to account and that is what we all must do. If this in any way resonates with you, email your MP, your MSP, the First Minster, your Highland or Moray Council representative. Tell them what you think.