Tanker impounded by French in payment dispute

THE multinational company behind controversial oil plans for the Firth of Forth has been linked to a previously undisclosed pollution incident off the French coast, prompting renewed fears for the safety of the Scottish environment.

The SNP is calling on Skaugen PetroTrans (SPT) to "come clean" about the safety record of its parent companies after it emerged that one of them has been involved in a prolonged dispute with the French authorities over an incident in 2001.

SPT, which operates out of Houston, Texas, is the world's largest company performing ship-to-ship transfers of oil. It recently took over Melbourne Marine Services, the Sunderland firm hoping to pump up to eight million tonnes a year of Russian crude oil between tankers anchored four miles off the Fife coast.

The proposal has provoked fierce opposition over fears that a spillage could be catastrophic for local wildlife and tourism. In a submission to the Scottish parliament, SPT claimed it had an "excellent record" on pollution.

But the Sunday Herald has discovered that one of its parent companies, Teekay, had an oil tanker impounded because a 100,000 fine for polluting had not been paid. Teekay bought a 50% stake in SPT in 2003.

In July 2001, the Teekay tanker Vancouver Spirit was spotted off the French coast by government inspectors with a 1km suspected oil slick in its wake. As a result, in 2004 the ship's captain was fined 100,000.

Early in 2005, the French authorities impounded another Teekay tanker because the fine had not been paid. The ship was released after the money was handed over by Teekay, which said the Vancouver Spirit captain had retired.

Bruce Crawford, chairman of the SNP, said: "It is time for SPT to come clean and disclose all of the oil spills that either they or their parent companies have been involved with.

"It is not good enough for this type of information to come out in such a piecemeal fashion. It makes you wonder what else they are hiding."

He was backed by Rick Nickerson, a spokesman for KIMO, which represents 112 coastal local authorities in nine countries across northern Europe. Nickerson said: "The evidence given to the Scottish parliament inquiry by the port authority and the operators about what a good safety record they have must be viewed with suspicion."

Last month SPT was accused by the Green Party of failing to disclose an oil spillage in the Gulf of Mexico in 1995.

SPT declined to comment on the French incident. Teekay stressed it was the captain who had been fined, not the company, though it had paid the fine. No pollution rules had been broken, a spokeswoman insisted: "A full investigation was carried out and Teekay was found to be in full compliance with marine pollution regulations."

SPT's application for oil transfers in the Forth is being assessed by Forth Ports, a private company which acts as the harbour authority. It pointed that the French incident had not involved a transfer of oil between ships.

"We would not allow any operation to go ahead if we felt it could impact on the integrity of the environment or if it did not conform to our own very stringent standard of safety," said a spokesman.