Oil in the Forth

Oil patches have been found in the Forth near the Fife shore. There is a press release on the Fife Council website which explains what’s been happening and Forth Ports don`t look too good out of it.

Apparently “Following reports about oil spillages on the River Forth and Firth of Forth from a number of sources, including members of the public, bridge maintenance staff and its appearance on CCTV footage taken from the Forth Road Bridge, Fife Council requested [on Monday] Forth Ports to activate the Clearwater Forth Oil Spill Contingency Plan”.

Forth Ports though “did not feel it was appropriate, at that point in time, to instigate the oil spill contingency plan”

Fife Council weren’t to happy with this response and made “further representations to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency by Fife Council” who agreed to carry out an overflight. It seems that the “aerial photographs showed three large patches of oil/sheen at the following locations which confirmed Fife Council's concerns”.

The three patches were “a) Between the Bridges, Hound Point Marine Terminal and the Firth of Forth towards Inchcolm…b) The north bank of the Forth close to the Rosyth Naval Base and mid channel abeam…c) The area abeam the Ineos Oil Refinery Grangemouth”.
Fife Council officials are quoted as being “disappointed that Forth Ports have not activated the oil spill contingency plan.”

I would hope that this attitude from Forth Ports over these oil spillages will be the end to any prospect of them deciding on Ship-to-Ship oil transfer in the Forth. Regulations instigated by the SNP and the Greens, although with all party support I should stress, will hopefully prevent them from taking this decision. I suspect Fife council would have a thing or two to say about it as well given Forth Ports lack of action in this case.