A leak of crude oil from an underground Petroineos pipeline that runs from the Finnart terminal on Loch Long to Grangemouth refinery is being "contained" and "cleaned up" in a multi-agency response, according to a statement released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
The leak, which was reported on January 2, is reportedly "small", and "containment measures are performing well", but local anglers are concerned that oil may reach spawning grounds in the Fruin Water where wild salmon, now officially 'endangered', have laid their eggs.
Gareth Bourhill of the Loch Lomond Angling Improvement Association said, "We were notified late on Tuesday afternoon and we were kept updated. The Fruin is one of the main spawning tributaries for spring salmon in the catchment.
"Given Atlantic salmon are on the endangered list, we are concerned about any impact on the water courses of the hydrocarbons - and that all the eggs sitting in the gravel should be undisturbed."
"Although we have been informed at the moment that the leak isn't in the river, our concerns are that the hydrocarbons will eventually permeate through."
He added; "What worries us is that this is a high pressure pipeline. They say the leak is 'small', but how small is that small?"
The Finnart terminal, built to receive supertankers bearing crude oil then transfer it to Grangemouth by pipeline, is owned and operated by Petroineos, a joint venture between PetroChina and Ineos, whose chairman is billionaire Jim Ratcliffe.
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Petroineos deployed specialists in spill containment and recovery to the area in Glen Fruin. Residents living in close proximity of the site were made aware.
The leak comes in the wake of controversy over Petroineos's announcement of the planned closure of its Grangemouth refinery.
A spokesperson for Petroineos at Grangemouth said: "Following a report to the local police on the afternoon of Tuesday January 2 of a small oil presence in the vicinity of our Finnart to Grangemouth pipelines, Petroineos stood up an incident response team.
"Specialists in spill containment and recovery were immediately mobilised and they remain at the site deploying measures to confine to a small area and ultimately remove any affected materials from site.
"We are working closely with a multi-agency group, to coordinate the response, including the Local Authority, Police Scotland, local health board and SEPA.
"Refinery operations at Grangemouth continue."
Google Earth image of the Finnart terminal (Image: Google Earth)
Shona McConnell, SEPA Senior Manager for Environmental Performance, said: “Petroineos has containment and clean-up operations in place and SEPA officers attended the site again yesterday (Thursday 4 January 2024) to carry out visual inspections, alongside assessments of ecology and water chemistry, following the rainfall on Wednesday 3 January.
“At present we have no significant concerns with respect to environmental impact on the Fruin Water. However, whilst the containment measures are performing well a very slight amount of oil was detected immediately downstream of the first containment site. The operator has been requested to install further containment measures on the Fruin Water as an additional precautionary measure. SEPA are attending the site again today.
“We will continue to work closely with partners, including Argyll and Bute Council, to monitor the response and clean up for as long as needed. Our staff will continue to attend site as required.
"Investigations are ongoing but there is currently a very low risk to the wider public. A cordon is in place to prevent access to the site. NHS Highland’s Public Health Team is working closely with the council’s Environmental Health Team to assess any implications for a small number of private water drinking supplies."
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