Residents of a small village less than a mile from the Foinaven FPSO parking spot expressed concerns about the climate as people saw black smoke coming out of the ship. The FPSO arrived at Port Huntston, Ayrshire from the BP field west of Shetland on August 8, and it has been operating at low power through a diesel generator. Residents near
expressed concern about the climate emissions caused by exhaust gas from the ship and intermittent black smoke. They have sent complaints to local parliament and MPs about exhaust gas, odor and noise pollution.
Local council officials have conducted an investigation and said that the severity and duration of the black smoke does not violate environmental regulations, and that the noise and odor of the ship does not constitute disturbance to the public. The two diesel generators on the Foinaven use marine oil to maintain the operation of the onboard system for the crew's daily life. Black smoke is generated during the initial boiler ignition process.
Teekay did not respond to this
It is understood that after the incident of Valaris drilling platform breaking from the mooring in February 2021, Hunterston now requires all ships to keep generators and engines in case of emergency. Foinaven FPSO is not a self-propelled ship.
Operator spokespersons for the Port of Pier and Hunterston facilities confirmed that the ship meets the Port of Authority’s requirements and can be parked safely, and that it switched to low-emission fuel on arrival. The ship was monitored after arriving in Hunterston, and the noise level was also within the specified range.
Former boss BP hopes to solve the problem through negotiations
FPSO leaves the oil field, BP chooses to remove its equipment in Hunterston. The villagers expressed disappointment at not knowing when the FPSO would leave, which was a question for shipowner Teekay, but Teekay responded. It is understood that the ship will be sent to Denmark for retirement, but the time is not clear.
Even though BP has actively communicated with residents, locals are still dissatisfied with the oil tycoon: "BP and Peel have both published their environmental guarantee letters and their concerns about the environment, but it does not seem to include the production of continuous engine exhaust from mooring near the village."
Relevant departments intervened in the investigation
Environmental auditors inspected during BP's charter and recorded 20 seconds of black smoke emissions on August 25, but they said that this did not cause any trouble to people on the shore. Auditors said several more inspections were conducted since then, and no smoke or nuisance was recorded.
A spokesman for BP said: "Petrojarl Foinaven FPSO is operated by BP from August 8 to August 30. During this period, the ship's power system is in operation to provide the necessary services to enable the ship to be safely handed over to Teekay. Safety is at the heart of everything BP does and we always seek to minimize the impact of our operations on the communities we are in. We attach great importance to environmental issues and have been in direct contact with the communities near Hunterston.
" Of course, BP will seek to resolve any issues that fall within our jurisdiction, but the follow-up issues will be held accountable by Teekay. "
