"A CONTROVERSIAL plan to transfer oil between tankers in the Firth of Forth is to get the go-ahead, despite objections from environmentalists, who fear a catastrophe.
The decision by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) means millions of tonnes of crude oil could be pumped from Russian ships to supertankers for onward shipment. Last night campaigners, MEPs and local authorities pledged to fight the plans, either by taking legal action or by launching a major European Union investigation to block the transfers...
The Sunderland-based company Melbourne Marine Services (MMS) is proposing to pump about 7.8 million tonnes of Russian crude every year between tankers lying four miles off the Fife coast. Forth Ports, the harbour authority, is in favour of the idea to transfer crude at rates of up to 3,000 tonnes per hour. It stands to earn more than £6 million a year from the transfers."
The crude oil is to be transferred from Russian tankers to bigger tankers destined for America. It has absolutely nothing to do with Scottish energy needs. The only benefit to anyone in Scotland consists of an annual £6 million in harbour dues which will accrue to a private sector company, Forth Ports. But all the risks, in the form of possible oil spills, lie with the wider Scottish environment. In the circumstances, I find it difficult to understand why public authorities should agree to an arrangement which offers them no benefit and only possible disadvantage.
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