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Response to the Esso Bernicia oil spill

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

Peter Foxton  and
Martin Heubeck
Peter Foxton
Affiliation:
Formerly, Natural Environment Research Council
Martin Heubeck
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Aberdeen University
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Synopsis

A brief description is given of the accident to the tanker Esso Bernicia that resulted in the release of 1174 tonnes of heavy fuel oil into the harbour at Sullom Voe. The measures taken to deal with the spill and the resulting oil pollution are described and their effectiveness assessed. Aspects of the environmental effects are considered with particular reference to birds, otters and sheep. Wide-ranging inquiries were made into the cause of the incident, the adequacy of the response, and the effects of the pollution. The actions that resulted are described. Finally the significance of the event is considered in relation to the subsequent development of oil spill contingency planning at Sullom Voe, and in the wider context of Shetland.

Type
Part Two
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 103: Monitoring at an Oil Terminal: The Shetland Experience , 1995 , pp. 233 - 245
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1995

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