Marine Protection
Later today Mark Lazarowicz, MP for Edinburgh North & Leith, introduces a bill into the House of Commons for the second reading.
The bill is entitled the Environmental Protection (Transfers at Sea) Bill, and seeks to prevent ship-to-ship transfers in non-regulated areas.
The Bill, which is only a few clauses long, would prevent transfers except on harbours with full oil spill prevention equipment, and effectively ensure that these transfers cannot take place in the Firth Of Forth.
It will also reduce the number of oil tankers passing the coast of the Western Isles on the way from the Baltic to the south of England where they undertake STS operations in Torbay, and is a campaign that I have been involved in for a number of years.
I hope that all members will support this, as it is a major step forward in protecting the marine environment.
The bill is entitled the Environmental Protection (Transfers at Sea) Bill, and seeks to prevent ship-to-ship transfers in non-regulated areas.
The Bill, which is only a few clauses long, would prevent transfers except on harbours with full oil spill prevention equipment, and effectively ensure that these transfers cannot take place in the Firth Of Forth.
It will also reduce the number of oil tankers passing the coast of the Western Isles on the way from the Baltic to the south of England where they undertake STS operations in Torbay, and is a campaign that I have been involved in for a number of years.
I hope that all members will support this, as it is a major step forward in protecting the marine environment.
3 comments:
Angus
It is unfortunate that possibly due to intense interest in your next posting (Wind Farms)no comment has yet appeared on Marine Protection.
What is "full oil spill prevention kit"? I know what "pollution prevention kit" is, it is the means of mitigating the effects of an oil spill. However I nit pick. Ship to Ship oil transfer is here to stay and a NIMBY policy will go nowhere.Why not concentrate efforts in ensuring a minimum risk operation can take place at selected locations. The transfer does not necessarily have to take place at sea revisit the reasons why it does not happen alongside at various major oil terminals and what needs to be done to make it happen.
As I write this a large tanker is transiting the Minch,under passive escort by the CG tug, and an elderly, fuel oil, road tanker has just struggled up the hill outside my house,belching copious volumes of exhaust gas, I am not sure which is the biggest risk to the environment or which one I should focus my attention on.
Unfortunately, Mr L has accepted assurances from the Government that the matters will be dealt with by the introduction of a new SI to cover these issues. Consequently, he has withdrawn his Bill - he has been leant on, and I am very, very, disappointed in him.
The SI is probably the 1999 STS Regulations that have been in consultation since about 1997, and which - I was assured by the Civil Servant in charge of these matters - would never be approved in the post consultation format, as they didn't meet the requirements of the shipping industry.
That is to say, the consultation recommended restrictions on STS and Big Oil didn't like it.
To round off this post - Forth Ports have abandoned plans to allow ship to ship iol transfers so sense has prevailed.
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