Scotland: Protests against oil threat to wildlife in Moray Firth

Protesters gathered on Nairn (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Narann) beach yesterday to oppose plans for ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Moray Firth. An inlet of the North Sea, the Moray Firth (Scottish Gaelic: An Cuan Moireach) is the largest firth in Scotland. The Inner Moray Firth is designated as a Special Protection Area for wildlife and noted as an important place on the Scottish coast for observing dolphins and whales. The Cromarty Firth Port Authority wants permission to transfer millions of tonnes of crude oil at sea. Campaigners against the scheme said any accident would result in disaster to the marine environment and wildlife in the Moray Firth.  There is wide scale opposition to the plans from people who live around the firth and throughout Scotland.