North Sea oil spill prompts call for review

Mr Lochhead called for a review of procedures to inform the public about spills in light of the latest North Sea incident.

More than 200 tonnes of oil spilled into the water after a leak from a flowline to Shell’s Gannet Alpha platform, about 112 miles east of Aberdeen.

Divers closed the leaking valve on Saturday, more than a week after the spill was detected on 10 August.

Mr Lochhead has written to UK Energy Secretary Chris Huhne and requested a meeting to discuss the issue of public disclosure, as regulation of the oil industry is a matter reserved to Westminster.

He said: “The oil and gas industry is vitally important and with so much activity and infrastructure in our seas there is always a risk of incidents.

“Not only should every effort be taken to minimise these risks, but when incidents do happen openness and transparency must be the guiding principles.

Green MSP Patrick Harvie said: “This is the most substantial leak in the North Sea since the Gulf of Mexico disaster, and Shell have clearly failed the test.

“It’s just luck that means we’re not facing a disaster on a much larger scale, and it’s time to look again at a proper moratorium on deepwater drilling.

“In the longer term, Scotland needs to move beyond oil dependency and claim a lead on renewables. That’s the way to guarantee that this kind of accident becomes a thing of the past.”