Oil slick hazard waiting to happen?

Solent Protection Society delivers a warning

The harbours and coastal beaches of the Solent are in possible danger of being severely polluted because the oil companies which have terminals in the Solent area continue to use single hull tankers to transport their oils to their terminals.

The Solent Protection Society, which aims to protect the Solent and its environment for future generations, is particularly concerned about the situation and has taken a proactive stance to, what could be, a potential nightmare for the Solent area.

Our Solent waters are surrounded by Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Special Sites of Scientific Interest and Heritage Coasts. A major oil spill like that which happened off the Spanish coast last winter, involving the aged single hull tanker Prestige, would have very serious consequences for the Solent and its environment. Prestige broke in half and sank with about 77,000 tons of fuel oil on board. So far she has leaked about 53,000 tons (the Spanish have capped the leaks on a temporary basis), thereby severely polluting the nearby coastal beaches and harbours. This is the second similar event to take place in the past three years.

New European Union legislation has now banned all single hull tankers trading in our waters from 2010 and in the meantime some countries - such as France and Spain - have precluded them from carrying the potential major pollutants fuel oil and heavy crude oils with effect from 1 September this year. Companies operating in Solent Waters have not yet agreed to do this however, but the Solent Protection Society are urging them to immediately abandon the use of single hull tankers in the Solent and thus minimise oil pollution exposure.

The environmental impact statement prepared by ABP for the Dibden Bay Container Port Enquiry revealed that there are about 57,500 shipping movements in the Solent annually and therefore single hull ships must navigate past increasing quantities of cruise liners, ferries, jumbo container carriers, dry cargo ships and Royal Naval craft as well as large fleets of yachts in the summer. There need only be one collision or grounding to be faced with possible horrific pollution similar to that in Spain last winter or in Alaska a few years ago.

In correspondence with the oil companies concerned, the Solent Protection Society have secured their acknowledgement that double hull tankers offer greater protection for the environment in the event of an accident.

However, at present these companies refuse to operate only with double hull tankers in the Solent, despite the world fleet already being about 60% double hull and by 2010 it will be mandatory. The Society has therefore written again to the companies concerned asking them at least to use their best endeavours only to trade double hull vessels in the Solent and definitely not to use single hulls for carriage of fuel oil and heavy crude
oils.

Andrew Turner, the Isle of Wight M.P. is also concerned about the situation and supports the Solent Protection Society in its campaign. The heavily congested waters of the Solent need all the protection we can secure to ensure that the environment and wildlife of the Solent are not damaged as a result of a major oil spill.