Almost 12 years ago to the day the Braer tanker tanker carrying 85,000 tonnes of crude oil ran aground in hurricane force winds off the Shetland Islands. In the wake of the Braer oil spill, the Donaldson Inquiry recommended that the most sensitive and environmentally valuable parts of our coastal seas should be identified as Marine Environment High Risk Areas (MEHRAs) in order to protect them from such disasters.
It now appears that the publication of the long over due report from the Department for Transport (DfT) containing its choices of Marine Environmental High Risk Areas is finally about to happen. Scottish Environment Groups hope that the report will identify sites in UK waters and will put forward management measures that will at last give much needed protection from the threat of shipping accidents.