Moray Firth Oil spill....

Dear all,
I find this very worrying.....
I have just written a consultation response for a new oil field development called Jacky in the Moray Firth near the Beatrix Alpha platform in which they said that oil spills are very unlikely to happen... Right...

Oil spill leads to beach clean-up
By George Boardman
Published: 17 June, 2008, Banffshire Journal

Clean-up teams get to work on Banff beach. Stanley Bruce
BANFF beach was partially closed for the weekend after being polluted by oil.
The beach was closed to the public on both sides of the mouth of the River Deveron from Friday evening until Sunday – although the closed sign was still at the beach as late as Monday lunchtime.
Clean-up teams worked on Saturday and Sunday to pick up the small, sticky, black pellets which appeared along the high tide mark in large numbers.The tarry deposits were lying in the sand, sticking to pebbles and coagulating on seaweed.
The bill for the operation, which involved Aberdeenshire Council workers and staff from environmental specialists Enviroco, is being met entirely by oil company Talisman Energy.
Talisman told 'The Banffshire Journal' on Monday: "The initial operation to clean up Banff beach, after oil pollution in the form of tar balls was washed ashore on Friday, was successfully completed 48 hours after it was first reported.
"Talisman Energy (UK) Limited worked with Aberdeenshire Council and pollution control experts to remove the oil from the beach.
"Shingle affected by the oil has been removed for cleaning off-site. and will be returned at a later date. The beach has re-opened.
"Talisman is carrying out tests to determine the source, but in the meantime is assuming the pollution is a result of the small spill from the Beatrice Alpha platform earlier this month.
"As previously stated, Talisman will meet all costs associated with the clean-up, and will continue to work with the relevant authorities to monitor the affected area."
'The Banffshire Journal' was made aware of the problem on Friday morning by reader Aileen Gair from Macduff, who picked up the mess on her shoes, and her dog's feet while walking on the beach at Palmer Cove.
At Aberdeenshire Council's environmental health office in Banff, senior officer Alistair McBain confirmed that the council was already aware of the problem, and clean-up teams were on their way.
The beach was inspected by the council and a Talisman representative on Friday evening, and the 'beach closed' signs put up.
On Saturday, teams of men and JCB diggers started to work on both sides of the river mouth, scooping up the dirty sand, seaweed and stones from the beach, and putting them into one-tonne bags, before taking them away.
A week before, Talisman also tidied up a similar oil spill at Buckie.
Local volunteers from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society reacted to the Buckie spill by calling for a ban to proposed new oil exploration in the Moray Firth.
There was another leakage at the end of April, which the company also dealt with. Local observers believe last week's pollution was driven towards Banff by the northerly winds towards the end of the week.
Talisman Energy Inc is an independent upstream oil and gas company with headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
It operates the Beatrice field, 24km east of Helmsdale, and 30km due north of Spey Bay.
Beatrice oil is brought ashore through a pipeline to Nigg.
The company says it is committed to conducting its business in an ethically, socially and environmentally responsible manner.