THERE have been more than 2000 oil spills in the North Sea since 2011 including 215 in marine protection areas which are home to some of…
spills in the North Sea since 2011 including 215 in marine protection areas which are home to some of Scotland’s most threatened species and habitats, The Ferret can reveal.A total of 308 tonnes of oil spilled into marine protected areas over the 13-year period. Marine life is at risk from routine spills, green groups pointed out, and oil and gas production harms marine life through toxic chemicals, microplastics and extreme noise pollution through seismic blasting.
The Ferret analysed the data on unplanned hydrocarbon releases at North Sea oil and gas facilities, which were reported to the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning . The second-worst spill in Scottish seas was in 2020 when 238 tonnes of diesel was spilled into the Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt MPA.
Spills have decreased in mass as well as number, with an average of 200 spills per year between 2011 and 2019, compared to 112 spills per year since 2020. He added: “Drilling for oil at sea can devastate marine ecosystems, but the government is greenlighting a new North Sea drilling frenzy – including in marine protected areas – that will further imperil ocean life and worsen the climate crisis while doing nothing to lower our energy bills or boost our energy security.”
“While oil companies rake in billions, they seem to be taking safety for granted, putting our seas, their fragile ecosystems, and the communities that rely on them at risk. “Oil will spill and gas will leak so any new oil and gas production will inevitably lead to further pollution of this type, in addition to the climate devastation it will bring.”
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