Just months after I have completed a CDOIF Environmental Risk Tolerability study for sites and activities posing a high risk to the environment. Months of research into the possibility of failures (in the Oil and Chemical industry), assessment of receptors, the severity of consequences and ways to mitigate those collective scenarios led me to rethink how much safer we can operate activities.
So, I couldn’t believe it on Monday when at first, I heard about the collision of two vessels on the North sea. Certainly, these catastrophic failings don’t occur anymore?? (I’m thinking to myself).
The fires, the shock – what about human life? Precious we all are.
Then hours later confirmation that 220,000 barrels of jet fuel had fallen into our sea from the Sea tanker. Later speculation of sodium cyanide also spilling from Solong – what consequences to our Sealife, to us? Unavoidable, surely? After all the checks and inspections that should have been made and responded to. They say that many deficiencies (steering position and communications) on Solong were formerly highlighted, yet these were continually unchecked.
Ongoing fires are continually being extinguished, and the Transport Minister states the cargo ship Solong is expected to sink, taking with it those highly toxic chemicals to the bottom of our sea.
I have just listened to an audio delivered by the RSPB on those effects to this vital community for those breeding seabirds, whose populations are already under pressure from bird flu and overfishing. The effects will be long lasting. Yet another sad time for Nature, our Environment.
More lessons learned. We cannot turn a blind eye.
