The Celtic League Secretary General, Rhisiart Tal-e-bot, has written to Scottish government Environment Minister, Ross Finnie MSP, to express concern about proposals to allow ship to ship oil transfers in the Forth.

The issue was the subject of a demonstration by environmentalists and other interest groups this weekend calling on government to rethink the issue.

The Celtic League are also (subject to the Assembly governments response) considering raising the issue with the EU Environment and Maritime Commissioners (Stavros Dimas and Joe Borg).

The Secretary Generals correspondence is set out below:

"Ship to ship oil transfers in the Forth

I am writing to you following the announcement by SPT Marine Services that it is their intention to use the Firth of Forth to perform ship to ship oil transferrals. The Celtic League opposes such plans on the grounds that there is a serious environmental pollution risk, if anything goes wrong.

Need I remind you that this same company was involved in the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 1995, where 35 0000 gallons of fuel leaked into the Gulf? Moreover executives at the firm failed to inform the Scottish Parliament or the Forth Ports PLC, when applying for approval, about their involvement in this serious incident. Whether this fact was omitted as a result of the wrong questions being asked by the Management of Forth Ports PLC is irrelevant. Such information always needs to be made explicit. A company that has an unsound safety record and who deliberately withholds relevant information about this is not the kind of business that Scotland should be seeking to attract.

There is always a risk of collision during ship to ship oil transfers, due to the close proximity of the vessels. This in itself should be enough for the Scottish Executive to refuse permission for oil transfers to take place along the environmentally sensitive coastline of the Forth.

In addition to this the Forth is used by water sports enthusiasts, who contribute significantly to the local community. In the very likely event that oil spillage occurs as a consequence of the transferrals, these people will be pushed away to find cleaner areas in which to carry out their activities.

The approval of oil transferral in the Forth by SPT Marine Services may contribute money to the local community in the short term, but at what cost to Scotland's long term future? All arguments point in favour of a rejection to the application by the Scottish Executive and all those involved.

We look forward to hearing your decision in this matter."

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League

25/03/07

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