New ship-to-ship moratorium plea
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
PROTESTERS have urged people to sign a new petition urging Scottish ministers to introduce a moratorium on ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Moray Firth.
It is understood a revised application from the Port of Cromarty Firth is coming, although no date has been set.
Community activists, Cromarty Rising, have now called on Holyrood to bar the practice in the Moray and Cromarty Firths, and in doing block any future submission before it can be made.
The Scottish Government has repeatedly claimed the matter is reserved to Westminster and that the UK Government has the ultimate say on any ban.
But critics dispute this, arguing that as the port is a "trust port", Holyrood has the power to suspend such applications indefinitely if it wishes.
"The decision on whether a new application is submitted or not, is not a ‘reserved’ decision," said a spokesman for Cromarty Rising.
"It is a decision for a Scottish trust port and the Scottish Government. This means we can keep control of our natural heritage by making a ‘no new application’ decision locally, here in Scotland."
Their petition calls on MSP Fergus Ewing, the rural economy and connectivity minister, to "issue a ministerial statement to protect the Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation".
"This would effectively block future applications and firmly end this threat to our stunning natural environment," said the spokesman.
The petition, at 38degrees.org.uk, had nearly 8000 signatures earlier this week.
The port said no date had been set for a revised application, but claimed it would be safe – highlighting that more than 175 million barrels of oil were transferred in the firth over the past 30 years.
"The port is confident this safety record would continue under the proposed additional licence," they added.
"The port remains committed to attracting oil transfers back into the safety of the firth. Discussions are ongoing with the owners and operators of Nigg Oil Terminal to bring it back into use, and work continues on refining the application."
