Highland Council leader calls for second towing vessel
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THE leader of Highland Council has lent her support to calls for a second emergency tug to be depoloyed in North West waters.
Councillor Margaret Davidson’s call follows the grounding of an oil rig off the coast of Lewis on Monday with 280 tonnes of diesel oil aboard.
The Transocean rig was being towed from Norway to Turkey when it broke free from towing lines during a storm.
Cllr Davidson said: "I strongly support the calls from our colleagues in the Western Isles who have to deal with the serious consequences of having an oil rig threaten their coastline.
"The current potential threat to the fragile island environment is unacceptable and I urge the UK Government to think again and reinstate a second Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) to the area, as Highland Council has always advocated.
"Last month Highland gave a cautious welcome to news of the retention of the Orkney ETV, however this incident in the Western Isles has demonstrated that this is not enough.
"I understand that the Herakles tug would have taken 14 hours to get from Orkney to the stricken oil rig which ran aground at Dalmore near Carloway and this is wholly unacceptable.
"Unusual weather events are becoming more of the norm for our UK climate and I am keen to hear how the UK Government and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, who we have been working closely with the over the past year to make the case for the continuation and enhancement of the ETV service, will provide safety in our waters throughout the area."
