Thursday, January 07, 2016

Green candidate speaks out against prospect of ship to ship oil transfers in the Moray Firth

Isla O' Reilly, Scottish Green Party list candidate for the Holyrood elections in May, has spoken out over the Cromarty Firth Port Authority's recent application for ship-to-ship oil transfers in the area under CFPA control in the Moray Firth. 

She told the Gurn:

"The Cromarty Firth Port Authority simply has no case for why this license should be granted, yet the potential risks of allowing ship-to-ship transfers to the wider Moray Firth environment could be devastating." 

"A spillage in this area could cause serious problems for the coastal communities and environments from Ross-shire to Moray, while the discharging of ballast water could introduce further pollution as well as non-native species." 

"We are fortunate to live in an area with an iconic and thriving dolphin population, and wealth of marine and bird life, so it is quite clear in my mind that this application should be rejected."

An article detailing the proposals and some reaction appeared in the Herald just before Christmas, that article is available here.

No comments: