Church of Scotland to look at Cromarty and Moray Firth oil proposals
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THE Church of Scotland is to consider the pros and cons of controversial ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Moray Firth.
The move comes after the issue was raised at the General Assembly currently taking place in Edinburgh.
Former moderator the Very Dr Alan McDonald, who lives in Cromarty, led a discussion on the issue on Wednesday and lodged a motion urging the Assembly to call on the UK government to ensure ship-to-ship transfers aren’t allowed.
Calling for transfers to continue to be limited to the Nigg jetty he said: “Oil transfers have safely taken place there for 30 years so why on earth are they not continuing to do it there, securely at a jetty rather than out at sea close to the dolphins and everything else in our fragile eco-system?
“It is estimated that possibly two million tonnes of contaminated ships’ ballast water could be discharged into this precious part of creation.
“Fumes from crude oil will be released that could affect the health of creatures and human beings on surrounding shores.
“Then there are oil spills that could be catastrophic to the coast and communities around the Moray Firth.”
Mr McDonald said Christians have a “duty of care” to look after the planet as commissioners at the General Assembly instructed the Church and Society Council to investigate the plans by the Cromarty Firth Port Authority.
Campaign group Cromarty Rising welcomed the comments.
A spokesman said: “The opposition to the Port of Cromarty Firth’s plan continues to grow on a daily basis - we urge them once more to drop their plans for ship to ship transfer of crude oil at sea and to work constructively with stakeholders to build a sustainable future for the Cromarty Firth and crucially, the communities and wildlife that depend on it.”
A Port spokeswoman previously said they “understood” not everyone supported their proposals but that communities would be able to consider their licence application fully when it is submitted later this year.
