The controversial plan to effect ship-to-ship oil transfers may have got the go ahead from the Maritime and Coastgurad agency but environmental groups have vowed to wage a battle against it on the basis that the project would put the Fort and its two special protection areas for seabirds in serious danger.
The EU has launched an investigation to check whether the proposal to pump Russian crude oil between supertankers breaches any environmental regulations.
Mark Ruskell, a green environmentalist said that the Forth Ports situation could descend into a legal battle and that investor confidence in a less than clean PLC would suffer. He feels that the time is coming when executive ministers should use the licensing powers they hold.
Alyn Smith, the Scottish Nationalist MEP who triggered the EU investigation, said the outcome could overrule the Maritime and Coastguard agency's decision.
Forth Ports said that safety was of paramount importance and that it would await the decsion of the panel of independent experts who are carrying out the risk assessment of the proposal.
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