Stop ship-to-ship transfers in Scotland

Tons of oil being blasted from one ship to another in a tricky operation in an area of outstanding natural beauty. What could possibly go wrong???

Cromarty Firth Port Authority wants to allow the pumping of millions of tons of crude oil between ships off the Moray coast – putting bottle-nose dolphins, seals and birds at risk if there’s a slip-up. It sounds crazy but it could soon be a reality, unless we act together now. A final decision hasn’t been made yet so there’s still time to stop it.

Ros, a 38 Degrees member from Wick, has started a campaign to block the plans. A massive people-powered petition will show the Port Authority just how unpopular their plans are, it could be enough to make them to drop the idea.

We know we can win this one. Eight years ago a huge public outcry stopped similar plans in the Firth of Forth. If this procedure is too iffy for the Forth, it’s too iffy for the Moray Firth.

One port official said “Ship-to-ship transfers are carried out all over the world and I am sure that to date there has not been a spill” – but a newspaper found that at least three spills happened in the past year.   Let’s make sure the firth is free from risk.

The government body in charge of making the decision is already feeling the heat. Just this month they’ve agreed to hold more talks with groups across Scotland before making a decision. So let’s make sure our voices are louder than those lobbying for these risky plans.

If you want to sign the petition to protect Scotland’s wildlife and stop ship-to-ship transfers, sign the petition below:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/danger-to-sea-life-oil-spills