Oil Slops News

At a hearing today at Truro Magistrates Court, the owner of a tanker paid a total of £22,500 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to a breach of U.K. maritime pollution legislation. On February 25, 2012 a satellite operated by European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) detected a ship trailing a slick in the waters between Lands End and the Scilly Isles. A report was made to the MCA. The alert level was given as RED, i.e. high confidence. The ship was identified as the Singapore registered tanker Maersk Kiera. The slick itself was within 12 miles of land.

From early April ships visiting the Port of Falmouth will be able to use a brand new service to receive and recycle oil slops, thanks to a joint venture between ship-repair and conversion specialist A&P Falmouth and marine oil terminal operators, Falmouth Oil Services (FOS). The new facility is set to boost trade in the port, providing a valuable service to ships using the busy shipping lanes of the English Channel as well as facilitating faster turnaround on vessels in dry dock which require tank emptying and washout before entering the port. At the moment ships requiring similar facilities have to go to Rotterdam or Le Havre, but this new venture effectively makes Falmouth a ‘one-stop’ port for shipping.