Moray Firth residents asked to report washed-up birds following oil spill

 Moray Firth residents are being asked to report sightings of washed-up birds following an oil spill in the Beatrice field and oil platform yesterday (4 November). The Beatrice platform has been shut down, although the incident is said to be relatively minor with a total of approximately 0.375 tonnes of heavy crude being spilt into the Firth. A spotter plane will be sent up tomorrow and the boom will be recovered.

 “This is being dealt with by an at sea response team, and if successful it is not expected to cause any shoreline impacts”, said Craig Bloomer, Offshore Industries Advisor for the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. “There may be seabirds impacted as a result of this spill, and they could wash up dead or alive on the shore at some point in the future. It would be important to notify the SSPCA to collect these. Any oil found on the seabirds could be sampled and the source identified”.

 The SSPCA Hotline number to call is 03000 999 999.