BRITISH scientists last week sent conflicting messages to ministers on
the environmental risks from dumping oil platforms such as the Brent Spar at
sea. A report to energy minister Tim Eggar from the Natural Environment Research
Council says, on the one hand, that impacts from deep-sea disposal “would be
appreciable only within a few square kilometres”, but, on the other hand,
“wastes will be dispersed and should be considered in an international
context”.
And while dumping “one or a few installations” would have a “very small”
impact, “continued disposals might give rise to a large overall impact”. To add
to the confusion, the NERC scientific group—chaired by John Shepherd,
director of its Southampton Oceanography Centre—points out that the Brent
Spar, a large floating oil store, is “not typical” and “may not be a good
example on which to base general policy”. And it adds that “nothing in the
report should be taken as promoting deep-sea disposal”.
