protecting minches from shipping accidents

USE: IMMEDIATE ISSUE DATE: Friday 25 March 2005

RENEWED CALL FOR TOUGH ACTION TO PROTECT MINCHES FROM SHIPPING ACCIDENT

Councillors are to renew their call for tough new measures to be introduced to safeguard the environment from a shipping accident around the shores of the Western Isles and Highland.

The Tanker Traffic in the Minch Working Party met in Stornoway recently to consider future action to prevent a disaster from a major oil spillage from tankers in such a vulnerable and sensitive environment.

The Highland Council was led by long-standing campaigners Councillor Michael Foxley, Vice-Convener, and Kyle Councillor Bill Fulton.

They want to remove the Right of Innocent Passage to control and manage shipping in the Minches’ channel between the Western Isles and the Western Highland shoreline. This would mean that shipping wishing to use this route would require to seek permission from the Maritime Coastguard Agency before doing so and at the same time be the subject of a number of strict controls, such as being escorted by a pilot boat.

Both councils wish to see a new and extended deep water route established for all tanker traffic further west of the Western Isles. They are to follow this up with other agencies, such as Scottish Natural Heritage.

Another priority is for The Highland Council to organise a conference in autumn next year on the Marine Environment.

At the Working Group meeting, it was agreed that a case needed to be presented to: -

	Introduce a vehicle traffic system at the Stornoway Coastguard base.
	Upgrade the status of the existing reporting regime for the Minches and the Deep Water Route from recommended to mandatory and to increase reporting requirements to include Waypoint reporting.
	Upgrade the status of existing routing in the Minches from recommended to mandatory.
	Identify and record suitable "safe havens" or anchorages, where a casualty can be taken until the vessel’s problems have been rectified. These will need defensive measures in place, plus substantial benefits for the affected community.
	Improve navigational aids.
	Fit all tankers transiting the Minches with emergency towing pennants.
	Improve coverage of paper charts to remove poor overlaps at a key part of the Minches’ passage.
	Adopt a network of Automatic Identification System base stations to strengthen Stornoway Coastguard’s prior information of ships planning to transit the Minches.
	Increase the range of ships escorted by tug through the Minches to include all vessels with bulk pollutants or heavy fuel oil.
	Consider providing tankers with a suitable qualified pilot during the transit of the Minches.

Councillor Foxley also raised the matter at the Convention of the Highlands and Islands in Shetland when he warned of the increasing shipping in coastal waters from Arctic Russia.

He said: "Accidents at sea are happening too frequently and more Government action is needed. We must work protect our coastline. We need to work with our European partners to agree an international code for controlling and managing the movement of vessels carrying hazardous cargoes."

Councillor Fulton said: "For many years now we have been highlighting the lack of adequate control of movements around our shores. Our main request is to control shipping movements by suspension of the right of innocent passage. The consequences of a major spillage for the marine environment and our coastal communities would be catastrophic."

-ends-

Date Last updated : 24/03/05