Published: 17 February 2006
Wales’ coastline still exposed to oil spills
On the tenth anniversary (15 February 1996) of one of the world’s worst oil spills an independent report commissioned by WWF reveals that our seas are still under threat from future oil spills.
According to the report pressures to Wales’ coastline come from three main areas;
· an increase in shipping traffic
· ineffective legislation, and
· potentially climate change
The report, ‘An overview of shipping activities in UK waters - Ten years on from the sea empress disaster’ says that whilst most of the lessons have been learnt from the Sea Empress grounding, one key one remains outstanding: the presence of an emergency towing vessel to cover the Irish Sea, based at Milford Haven.
However of more concern to WWF is the conclusion that it could happen again and Morgan Parry, Head of WWF Cymru, said:
“Three of the world’s worst oil tanker spills happened in UK waters. The ingredients are still present around our coast for another oil tanker incident.
There are over 300 pollution reports each year that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency deal with. One of the latest being the sinking of the chemical tanker, the Ece, earlier this year.
Significant efforts have been made since the Sea Empress grounding to prevent another disaster but we can’t be complacent.
The UK Government and Welsh Assembly Government needs to constantly assess new threats and create contingency plans. This report highlights the gap between the threats and the protection our marine environment needs.”
The Sea Empress disaster ranks not only as Wales’ biggest oil spill but as one of the worse 10 oil spills in the world. Up to 200 km of coastline was affected, and it cost £28 million to clean up, and another £10 million in compensation payments.
Adverse environmental impacts on marine life saw a decline in cushion starfish and shrimps, due to the extent of the damage to salt marshes. The 7,000 birds that were cleaned suffered poor survival rates and Sea Scoter numbers have been very slow to recover because of the loss of their feeding ground.
During the last ten years our seas are busier than ever with increased tanker traffic with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) dealing with up to 30 incidents every month that go largely unnoticed by the media.
Data obtained from the Maritime Coastguard Agency (2003) indicate that there have been 104 tanker-related oil pollution incidents in UK waters between 1998 and 2002, and between 2000 and 2002 one in ten ships were involved in an accident.
The recent shipping collision in the Channel this January between a chemical tanker, the vessel Ece, and a bulk carrier the General Grot-Rowecki acts as a reminder that our seas are vulnerable to oil spills.
Unfortunately the planning and protection of our seas has not kept pace with the increase in shipping traffic.
Following the Brear which spilled 85, 000 tonnes of oil off the Shetland Islands, the UK Government ordered a review into the UK’s ability to deal with major oil pollution incidents. The report ‘Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas’ by Lord Donaldson was published in 1994.
His report listed 103 recommendations, many of which have been adopted but the presence of an emergency towing vessel (ETV) to cover the Irish Sea, based at Milford Haven is still outstanding.
Another pressure to our seas is the increasing volume of heavy oil being exported from Russia to the UK.
Russian oil is shuttled from ports in the Baltic and Barents Seas to large 250,000 tonnes tankers to continue its journey. The ship to ship transfers from the shuttles to the larger tankers either take place in unregulated international waters or around the UK.
Concerns have been raised about the pollution risk and lack of regulatory controls, which has stopped this practice in Lyme Bay. However it still occurs off Southwold in Suffolk and at Sullom Voe in the Shetlands.
There are always inherent risks in ship to ship transfers such as ships dragging anchor, pipe separation between vessels or a collision. The last risk assessment into ship to ship transfers around the UK was carried out in 1997 but this did not take into account their new nature.
Morgan Parry continued:
“There are currently no regulations regarding ship to ship transfers in UK waters.
There is an urgent need for this legislation to be passed through parliament without further delay. In addition the Government must make it clear how shipping fits into the Marine Bill currently being drafted.”
On the tenth anniversary of the Sea Empress, we have an opportunity to do something we never managed on land – to sustainable manage our marine environment.
There is an urgent need to minimise the risks from oil pollution on our precious marine environment. In Wales we are only too aware of how much damage shipping disasters such as the Sea Empress can inflict on a region’s marine environment, economy and valuable fisheries”.
How can we minimise the risk to our seas from oil spills?
WWF can work with the international shipping community to inform decisions to set demanding targets and to implement recommendation, to take action to prevent future accidents and to raise awareness of the threat to marine species and the marine conservation in UK waters.
WWF Cymru urges the Welsh Assembly Government to use its powers to support a co-ordinated legislative framework in form of a New Marine Act. Only through this approach does WWF believe that our seas will be adequately protected.
Mr Parry added:
“The government is drafting a Marine Bill. This report highlights the need for an approach that puts ecosystems at the heart of planning and management decisions.
Integral to that is the identification and protection of important marine areas. The marine environment provides the basis of many economically productive industries, such as angling and leisure.
These spaces must be given their place similar to the economic activities”.
In Wales there must be effective co-ordination within the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) and with the UK Government. Political parties in Wales need to understand the huge economic, social and environmental implications of issues affecting our seas and develop policies accordingly.
A new legislation is needed to provide WAG with the opportunity to have increased powers to manage Wales Territorial Sea sustainability.
WWF Cymru would welcome a debate at the Assembly on the proposed Marine Bill which has been prepared by the UK Government; only through political will can we ensure that our seas and coastlines are adequately protected so that future generations can enjoy a helathy Welsh marine environemnt.
Further information
WWF Cymru
An overview of shipping activities in UK waters – Ten years on from the Sea Empress disaster
Establishment of Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs)
Risk assessment associated with shipping operations in UK waters
WWF factsheet
Marine Guidance Notes
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