The true extent of oil pollution released into UK waters by the fossil fuel industry has been “significantly underestimated” and it is putting marine wildlife at risk, according to a report released today.
The conservation group Oceana said chronic oiling, defined as frequent, small scale releases, into the North Sea was much higher than estimated due to an “opaque” system of reporting oil discharges and spills.
Oil companies must report both accidental oil spills and intentional discharges of so-called produced water – a byproduct that can contain oil and other toxic chemicals. The companies are allowed to release a certain volume of produced water but breaches of permitted levels are reported separately so escape full scrutiny, according to Oceana’s report. This caused underreporting of the total amount of oil released into the sea, it claimed.