North Sea oil spills reach record high
SPILLS from North Sea oil rigs have reached a 14year high, according to a UK Government report obtained by the Sunday Herald. The revelation comes in the wake of a major spillage last weekend from oil giant BP’s Clair rig off Shetland. It has prompted fierce criticism from environmentalists and industry trade unions over the “appalling” and “abysmal” safety record.
Oil companies, however, defend themselves by pointing out that they report every incident. The UK Government says some of the increase may be due to better reporting.
The latest survey for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) reveals that UK offshore oil and gas platforms reported a total of 601 accidental releases of oil and chemicals in 2014. This is an increase of 14.5 per cent on 2013. The report points out that the number of oil spills – 380 – was the highest recorded since 2000. In 2014, there were 100 more oil spills reported than the average for the previous 13 years, it says.
An analysis of the data by the Sunday Herald shows that 55 of the oil and chemical spills in 2014 were from 11 BP rigs. These included three major chemical leakages totalling 30 tonnes, blamed on various equipment failures.
Other spills were attributed to corrosion, pipework leaks and faulty hoses, drains blocked and overflowed, loose fittings and valves failing.
The report was compiled for the MCA by the expert Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea. It has not yet been published but was released to the Sunday Herald on request. The report for 2015 is not yet available.
Last week, BP reported that 95 tonnes of oil had escaped from the Clair platform, 75 kilometres west of Shetland, on October 2 because of a “technical issue”. The rig was shut down, an investigation launched, and planes sent up daily to monitor for pollution.
The environmental group WWF Scotland called for a crackdown on the North Sea oil industry. “BP has a pretty appalling track record when it comes to leaks and spills,” said director Lang Banks. “Worse still, it looks like the oil and gas industry as a whole is going backwards on spill prevention.”
Banks warned that the industry ran the risk of major pollution or worse. “In the interests of protecting people and our marine environment, we should be putting the oil and gas industry on a much shorter leash,” he argued.
According to Jake Molloy, offshore organiser for the RMT trade union, cost-cutting was threatening the safety of workers and the environment. “The abysmal record of BP here in the UK sector of the North Sea should serve as further evidence, if it were needed, of why investment in the infrastructure is critical,” he said.
Jess Worth from the protest group BP Or Not BP labelled the oil giant a “serial spiller”. It was found “grossly negligent” for its role in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, she said. “It’s time to walk away from North Sea oil before BP does irreversible damage to its ecosystems and economic future.”