A Conservative MP has regrets over ship to ship – no wonder the MCA are keen to award licences in Scotland which gets the said MP’s off the hook with their electorate.
A nice quote from a Senior Tanker captain with 34 years experience in the comments at the bottom of the page quoted below:
“Having worked at sea for 34 years in a senior capacity including employment on super tankers and also being very familiar with this coast I can say with authority that the decision to use this area for any tanker transfers is deeply flawed. We also now look set to lose GY Coastguard MRCC in addition to the emergency tug service, specifically placed around the UK coast after the previous serious pollution incident involving the loss of the FOC tanker Braer on Sumburgh Head . Simply a disgrace, and an accident waiting to happen.”
Where’s the nearest emergency tug to the Moray Firth STS locations? Lerwick – Shetland. By the time the ETV gets to the Cromarty Firth it will too late – the oil will be on our beaches and coastline. At the Nairn meeting a former Cromarty resident described the carnage that was created when the Luftwaffe bombed the oil tanks at Invergordon during WWII. Oil soaked into the beaches to over a foot in depth. Birds feeding on oil contaminated lugworms died. Dying cormorants were seen staggering around the streets of Cromarty. The transfers are proposed within 1km of an extremely rocky coastline in shallow water – who in their right mind can think this is a good idea? This is an unaccountable Port Authority that are out of control and out step with the communities who are supposed to be one of their most important stakeholders.
