FISHERMEN have accused the company behind a new £3.5 billion gas plant on Shetland of doing nothing to make it safe for boats working in the area.

Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) has warned skippers of the dangers of fishing near Total’s gas pipelines in Yell Sound.

Shellfish boats, in particular, have been urged to stay away amid serious concerns for vessel safety due to the amount of rock dumped on top of the auxilliary pipes. These run adjacent to the main gas pipelines coming from the Laggan-Tormore field to the plant on the Shetland mainland, which is expected to add the equivalent of 90,000 barrels of oil per day in gas to the UK's energy supply.

A series of trials involving whitefish and shellfish boats resulted in damage to gear. Total said it had funded the studies and had proposed solutions but was yet to receive a response from the SFA. 

The SFA says it is frustrated at the lack of action after more than three years of discussions, while the company announced yesterday that gas had started to flow from the field 77 miles north west of the islands.

“The rock dumps on top of the pipelines reach up almost four metres, posing a major obstacle to boats that trawl or catch scallops in Yell Sound,” said SFA executive officer Simon Collins.

“On the basis of the trials that our boats carried out we felt it was necessary to caution skippers about the dangers. Meanwhile, our efforts to persuade Total to take action to create safe crossing points for vessels have really got nowhere."

SFA chairman Leslie Tait said: “A lot of our small scallop vessels fish this area, especially in winter, especially in bad weather, and the fear is that they pick up a lot of these boulders, ending up with top weight and stability problems. There also can be issues with hydraulics and blown motors of winches due to over-stressing.

“We were promised that this issue would be settled by creating areas where fishermen could cross the pipeline, but that hasn’t happened.”

He said many inshore boats operated in Yell Sound because of the good quality fishing grounds. The local scallop fishery was worth around £1.9 million to the inshore fleet, he said.

Gary Leask, skipper of the 13m Kestrel which has twice suffered gear damage in trials, including hydraulics, said: “We are concerned about snagging on the pipe and also the quantity of rock that is down there. For a smaller boat the weight of rock could lead to you capsize in the worst case scenario.”

But a spokesman for Total E&P UK said: “As part of the Laggan-Tormore development, Total installed pipelines that pass through the Yell Sound. There was an extensive public consultation, which included the Shetland Fisherman’s Association, and no objections were raised."

All the pipelines were then installed in accordance with the relevant government permits, he said.

He added: “Concerns were later raised by the SFA about near-shore vessels being able to trawl in the Yell Sound. Total have been actively engaging with the SFA to explore these concerns. Total funded the SFA to carry out studies and trials in July 2015 to examine the issue and invited them to propose solutions based on the results of those trials.

"We have yet to receive any proposal from the SFA in regard to possible solutions following these trials. Total have been seeking meetings with the SFA since those trials took place and to date we have received no response to our invitations.”