Small oil spill during ship-to-ship transfer at Sullom Voe

A small quantity of oil condensate escaped during the first ship-to-ship transfer for more than eight months at Sullom Voe Terminal, prompting an investigation and an alert to environment watchdog Sepa.

The incident happened on Sunday at the end of an operation involving the transfer of 60,697 tonnes of the light-grade oil from the Russian ice-class ship Perseverance to the Rotterdam-bound tanker Nordmars. It was caused by the wind catching the connecting hose.

Head of service at SIC ports and harbours and harbourmaster Roger Moore said between two and five litres escaped. One pollution vessel and one pilot boat were dispatched but the oil evaporated, leaving “no trace”.

An investigation was carried out by the terminal’s anti-pollution team, which confirmed there were no adverse effects or damage to the environment.

Capt Moore said the agents who arranged the transfer could be interested in “a couple a month” through the winter.

The port of Sullom Voe has been seeking ship-to-ship transfers for some time and Capt Moore said this was good news. “This is a welcome development and we hope it will continue. We are actively trying to encourage more business.”