Oil spill at Lochinver Harbour had ‘minimal’ impact, officials say after large quantity of MGO is recaptured
Highland Council say the impact on operations at Lochinver Harbour was “minimal” after emergency response equipment had to be deployed to tackle an oil spill at a bunkering point yesterday morning.
Harbour officials say a “large” quantity of marine gas oil (MGO) was able to be captured and contained after an immediate response prompted the clean-up operation.
The spill had originated from a fuel dispenser housing which had a burst seal.
A Highland Council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that an incident occurred at one of the bunkering points at Lochinver harbour around 10:30 yesterday resulting in marine gas oil entering the water.
“Emergency response spill equipment was immediately deployed by the harbour staff on site and a large quantity of the spilt MGO was successfully captured and contained.
“Relevant authorities were contacted and have been kept informed during the clean-up operation.
“The impact on harbour operations was minimal.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said: “SEPA were notified of an incident involving a spillage from the fuel bunkering facilities at Lochinver Harbour on April 21, 2025.
“The Highland Council Harbours Authority advised the spillage of fuel had been stopped, and mitigation measures deployed.
“We continue to liaise with the Highland Council as site operator and provide advice regarding the clean-up during the open investigation into the incident.
“We encourage anyone who spots signs of a potential pollution incident to contact SEPA as early as possible via the Pollution Hotline 0800 80 70 60 or submit an online form at sepa.org.uk/report.”
