Environment and Rural Development Committee, 28 Feb 2007

Meeting date: Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Official Report 94KB pdf

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Petitions

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Ship-to-Ship Oil Transfers <br />(PE956 and PE982)

Agenda item 3 is petitions. Members will recall that the committee took evidence on petitions PE956 and PE982, on ship-to-ship transfer of oil in the Firth of Forth, at its meeting of 7 February. The committee agreed various follow-up actions and that it would continue to monitor developments on the proposed transfers.

As members are aware, one of the issues that witnesses raised was the perceived level of risk of an oil spill. Last week I received correspondence from Mark Ruskell MSP expressing concern that, in its written submission to the committee, SPT Marine Services—the applicant—did not inform the committee about a large oil spill incident in the Gulf of Mexico in 1995. Mark Ruskell has asked me to investigate the matter.

I point out that the committee is not a court or tribunal and that it is not, therefore, the committee's role to investigate and determine questions of fact. However, it is always for the committee to consider how it wishes to comment on any conflict of evidence and how much weight it wishes to attribute to those issues in further consideration of petitions. It is important that accurate information is provided to the committee. I therefore suggest that I write to SPT Marine Services seeking its comments on the issues that are raised in Mark Ruskell's letter.

In evidence to the meeting on 7 February, Forth Ports plc advised the committee that it had undertaken research into the safety record of ship-to-ship transfers when considering the application from SPT Marine Services. I therefore suggest that I write to Forth Ports plc seeking clarification of whether it became aware of this incident during its research, and that I copy both letters to the Scottish Executive for comment.

I am happy to hear members' views on those proposed courses of action.

I simply point out the obvious fact that SPT Marine Services refers, in its evidence, to oil spills in the past 10 years. As was pointed out in the chamber last week, 1995 was more than 10 years ago. I wonder whether that influences your thinking on the issue, convener.

I think that it is an occasion on which people have told the truth but perhaps not the whole truth.

The past 10 years was a timescale that SPT Marine Services set. If somebody had asked about its record over the past 15 years, the incident in question would have been included. The course of action that the convener has outlined is eminently sensible and I go along with it completely.

I will not stand in the way of what has been proposed.

Are all members agreed on that?

Members indicated agreement.

As agreed at our meetings of 24 and 31 January, we now move into private session to discuss two draft reports. The first of those is our stage 1 report on the Cairngorms National Park Boundary Bill; the second is on our inquiry into the marine environment. I invite the press, the public, any visiting members, the official report and broadcasting staff to leave.

Meeting continued in private until 12:04.