Meeting With New Shipping Minister Sought

Councillors are to seek a meeting with new Shipping Minister Dr Stephen Ladyman MP to renew their call for tough new measures to safeguard the environment from a shipping accident around the shores of the Western Isles and Highland.

The Tanker Traffic in the Minch Working Group, comprising members of The Highland Council and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, want to advise the Minister of the action they believe needs to be taken by the UK Government to prevent a disaster from a major oil spillage from tankers in such a vulnerable and sensitive environment.

They want to see: -

The Group accepts it is going to be very difficult to implement the suspension of the Right of Innocent Passage in the Minches and to insist that all vessels have a pilot on board while transitting the Minches but want to keep these options in reserve if the above measures do not sufficiently control and manage the Minches.

The Highland Council is led on the Working Group by long-standing campaigners Councillor Michael Foxley, Vice-Convener, and Kyle Councillor Bill Fulton.

Councillor Foxley said: "We are anxious to maintain the momentum on this long-running campaign and our next step is to seek a meeting with, Stephen Ladyman, the new Minister of State for Transport with special responsibility for shipping. We have identified an action plan, which we believe is crucial if we are to make our vulnerable waters as safe as they can be."

Councillor Fulton, who chaired the most recent meeting of the Group said: "For many years now we have been highlighting the lack of adequate control of movements around our shores. The consequences of a major spillage for the marine environment and our coastal communities would be catastrophic. Our priority is now to seek a meeting with the new Shipping Minister to press the case for early action."