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Reproduced with permission - first appearing online in the Shetland News
Calls
for Fair Isle Marine Protection Area
30th June 1999
by Hans Marter
Shetland and Orkney MSPs Tavish Scott and Jim Wallace called on the government last night
(TUE) to urgently improve marine safety around the coasts of the Northern Isles after Fair
Isle only just escaped a major oil spill in the early hours of Saturday morning.
As the Alandia Stream drifted for 17 hours in the Fair Isle Channel between North
Ronaldsay, Orkney, and Fair Isle, Shetland MSP Tavish Scott backed the call for a special
protection area around Fair Isle.
Last weekend's incident prompted renewed calls for an ocean going tug to be stationed in
the Northern Isles as the engine failure of the Alandia Stream was already the second
serious shipping incident in the area within three months. In March the chemical tanker
Multitank Ascania drifted helplessly in the Pentland Firth and nearly ran aground on the
Caithness coast.
Jim Wallace, who is also the Westminster MP for Orkney and Shetland, said: "The
incident has disturbing similarities to the Braer grounding. Once again a tanker drifted
for several hours before contacting the Coastguards, and once again it took many hours for
a salvage tug to arrive on scene."
Tavish Scott added: "The incident showed yet again the need for major improvements to
the regulation of the movements of vessels carrying hazardous cargoes in coastal waters
and the need for better provision of salvage tugs. It was down to chance that the wind and
tides combined to carry the stricken tanker away from land, the incident could otherwise
have ended with a wrecked tanker and 78 000 tonnes of crude oil cast onto the coastline of
Fair Isle, North Ronaldsay or the Shetland mainland. The incident also showed that salvage
tugs can successfully take under tow large tankers drifting at sea in Force 6 winds and
emphasised the value of such tugs."
Mr Scott said he had been strongly lobbied by Fair isle residents who are campaigning for
the designation of a marine nature reserve around the waters of the small island half way
between Orkney and Shetland.
He said: "I support their call for the provision of statutory coastal exclusions
zones for shipping carrying hazardous cargoes and the provision of controlled shipping
lanes in the middle of the channels to north and south of Fair Isle, with one channel
designated for east bound shipping and the other for westbound traffic."
"I also support the calls from Fair Isle for the waters round the isle to be made a
Marine Protection Area. Such conservation action can be taken by the Scottish Parliament,
and by taking action it would show that the Parliament takes the protection of our
environment seriously. I have lodged a question with the Scottish Executive, who take over
responsibility for our environment this week, asking is they have any plans for the
designation of a Fair Isle Marine Conservation Area."
Mr Wallace reiterated his call for the Pentland Coastguard Station to remain open as
marine safety was "too important an issue to let the local knowledge and expertise in
the station be lost."
"The incident also reinforced the need for better regulation of hazardous shipping,
for the provision of coastal exclusion zones and for the monitoring of shipping movements
with satellite transponders"
"Finally I will be calling for a proper public investigation into the incident. Just
because it ultimately did not end in an accident, does not mean that the incident should
not be investigated and lessons learned from it," he added.
The Alandia Stream, after having been towed into Sullom Voe harbour for repair on Sunday,
is expected to continue its journey to Tranmere, Liverpool, this morning (WED).
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