Reproduced with permission - first appearing online in the Shetland News

New revelations about Alandia Stream

1st July 1999

The recent events surrounding the 'Alandia Stream', which could so easily have become an even bigger nightmare than the 'Braer' have sparked off plenty heated reaction, but the Shetland News can now reveal information which is very disturbing.

As we have been able to look back on the events that unfolded it now transpires that the press, and therefore the public, were (for several hours at least) misled by erroneous information supplied by the Coastguard Press Office.

On the Saturday morning we heard of the incident at 10.15 and spoke to the Coastguard Press Officer (not based in Shetland, but down in England), and were given various facts which were stoutly adhered to even when being challenged within the hour.

We were told that:-

1. The vessel was the 'Alandia Stream' (Correct)
2. She was carrying crude oil (Correct)
3. There was 50,000 tonnes of crude oil on board
   (WRONG - there was 78,000 tonnes on board)
4. She had first called the coastguard at 9.02 (BST) for assistance
   (WRONG - Overheard radio traffic would suggest the master did not request assistance on his first call - so was this really his first call?)
5. The vessel was 7 miles West of Fair Isle (Correct - presumably)
6. She had not been any closer to Fair Isle than 7 miles during her drift
   (WRONG - An observer on Fair Isle is reported to have seen her much closer than 7 miles at some time earlier in the morning) - Another source told us they had heard she was only 2 miles from the coast at her closest point. If she had been drifting in a North-Westerly direction for 6 hours, then to end up 7 miles West of Fair Isle, she must have come pretty close during the drift.
7. A tug was being sent and would be there at around 5pm to 6pm (BST) to take her under tow
   (WRONG - the tug only arrived at around 8pm (BST) a gross mis-calculation if things had been critical with tides or winds changing) 17 hours from the time of the breakdown until the time of getting a tow on board is utterly ridiculous. It is fortunate the weather was not too bad, and that the wind and tides were in Fair Isle's favour - it could have been very different.

Why are there so many glaring differences in what was told to us and what we subsequently discover were the real facts? It is simply not good enough. When an incident of this type is happening it is essential that the emergency services and the public have the correct facts. Anything less is unnacceptable. Imagine the lack of understanding of any similar situations if they close the Pentland Firth station, when so much critical information will have to be routed through offices so removed from the actual scene that it has no real meaning to them at all.

Dr Jonathan Wills, who has written to Capt Pearce of the Shetland Marine Safety Sub-committee (letter here), has raised several points which are worth following up. The Shetland public deserve answers to our questions, and assurances that this can never happen again but, given the discrepancies already evident in official accounts of the incident when compared to the known facts, Who can we trust to tell us the truth?

Text and photographs 2008 Dave Wheeler except where otherwise credited. (Logo picture courtesy of Sumburgh SAR)
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