Drilling Rig Aground in Scottish Isles Raises Bigger Questions about Safety Procedures

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The Transocean Winner oil rig which ran aground in the Outer Hebrides during severe storms earlyย Monday morning is now being closely monitored by a counter-pollutionย team.

For the time being it appears as though there has been no substantial environmental damage by the rig, which has 280 tonnes of diesel on board, nobody was on the rig when it grounded, and the risk of pollution is low, say authorities.

So while things could be a lot worse, the situation is far from ideal, and it has led many to ask: why did it happen and how can we prevent a more dangerous situation from occurring in theย future?

‘Worst Augustย Winds’

According to media reports the oil rig was travelling from Norway to Malta, where it would then make its way to a yard in Turkey to beย scrapped.

However, during what has been described by weather forecasters as โ€œthe worst August winds on recordโ€ the 17,000-tonne drilling rig became detached from a tug boat during the early hours of Monday, 8 August, and ran aground at Dalmore beach on the Isle ofย Lewis.

The beach is a known local surfing spot and asย Angus MacLeod, chairman of Carloway Community Council, told BBC Alba: ย โ€œThere are a lot of people around here whose livelihoods are dependent on fishing, fish farming, and tourism โ€ฆ The community here is within a matter of yards from theย shore.โ€

โ€œIf that had happened to be a loaded oil tanker the place would have been devastated,โ€ heย added.

Itโ€™s expected that the rig will be held in place by three to four tug boats until the next high tide when it can be re-floatedย out.

Richard Dixon, Director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, explained: โ€œWe understand that the next really high tide isnโ€™t for about 10 days, and Iโ€™ve been told by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency that it may well be several weeks before the rig isย re-floated.

โ€œSo clearly there is potential for a problem during that time particularly if thereโ€™s another storm โ€ฆ So if it were pounded by another big storm there could be a problem but otherwise if itโ€™s ok just now, which is what those who went for a look said, then itโ€™s probably unlikely that itโ€™ll startย leaking.โ€

Lessons toย Learn

The event raises a lot of questions however, Dixon added, stating that answering them will be crucial to preventing futureย disasters.

Because the rig washed onto Dalmore beach on the west coast of Lewis, this indicates the rig was being towed along the โ€˜deep waterโ€™ shipping route, as opposed to between the Western Isles and the mainland (known as the Minches route).

โ€œWhy was it where it was when there was a storm coming is the key question to ask,โ€ Dixonย said.

โ€œWhy was it where it was, why was it still under tow, and why was it in the most dangerous spot, i.e. outside the mainlandโ€ฆ when there was a major stormย forecast?

โ€œWhy was it not anchored somewhere safely, or why was it not coming through the Minches? So [thereโ€™s] certainly something to learn fromย that.โ€

Another minor question Dixon added, is the issue of why almost 300 tonnes of diesel was sitting on a rig that was set to be scrapped: โ€œWhy was that not taken off in Norway if this was not actually an operational platform anymore? โ€ฆ Why is it dangerous when it could have been made safe beforeย transport?โ€

Emergency Towingย Vessels

Scottish MPs have also re-issued calls for an emergency towing vessel (ETV) to be reinstated in the area โ€“ an issue brought up recently in debates this pastย February.

Following the 1993 Braer oil spill disaster off the Shetlands, an inquiry led by Lord Donaldson recommended that ETVs be stationed around the UKโ€™s coastsย to protect theย environment.

Until 2012 Scotland had two boats available to coastguard the north and west coasts. But at the end of 2011 the government limitedย this to a single ship in an effort to cut costs, thereby removing the one inย Stornoway.

This meant that when the tow boat lost the Transocean Winner rig to the storm this week, the nearest ETV was sent to the scene from Northern Scotland. According to SNP MSP Alasdair Allan, the vessel was โ€œin the region of 14 hoursย awayโ€.

SNP MP Angus MacNeil, who has previously campaigned on the issue, told Sky News: โ€œThis could have been a very different outcome, and it is another example of why we need to have an emergency towing vessel on the west coast ofย Scotland.

โ€œThe UK Government must return the ETV to Stornoway โ€“ a tug is an insurance policy for an unusual but possibleย event.โ€

As Dixon of Friends of the Earth warned: โ€œHad this been a tanker that was under tow and had gone aground, we could easily be looking at a very large spill rather than something thatโ€™s a bitย safer.โ€

โ€œI would hope this has been the wake up call to make sure we have that extra vessel so that should something else go wrong weโ€™ve got something that can get out prettyย quickly.โ€

Photo: Mark Macleod via Twitter

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Kyla is a freelance writer and editor with work appearing in the New York Times, National Geographic, HuffPost, Mother Jones, and Outside. She is also a member of the Society for Environmental Journalists.

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