BP fined £400,000 for oil release at Sullom Voe terminal in Shetland

Energy giant BP has been fined £400,000 after the release of more than three tonnes of crude oil at the Sullom Voe terminal in Shetland.

The company admitted health and safety failings at Lerwick Sheriff Court.

The incident, during maintenance in 2012, led to flammable crude oil being released from a pipe into the ground.

BP said after the case: "While there was no injury to people or impact on the environment, this incident should not have happened."

The company added: "BP's operations are underpinned by a relentless focus on safety and risk management. Regrettably, on this occasion in 2012, we fell short of these high standards.

"We carried out a thorough investigation and applied lessons learned up until December 2017 when operatorship of Sullom Voe transferred to EnQuest. During that transition, we ensured all safety practices BP had built up at SVT (Sullom Voe terminal) over the years were transferred effectively to EnQuest.

"BP remains ever-committed to safe operations across our operations."

HSE principal inspector Greg Haywood said: "This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.

"Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards."