By Bruce Fegen

SHAREHOLDERS OF Forth Ports plc were met by an array of protesters when they arrived for the company’s annual meeting in Edinburgh yesterday.

Scottish Greens from Fife and Lothians were joined by representatives from Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) and the Scottish Seabird Centre as they urged Forth Ports to ditch the highly-controversial plans to transfer huge amounts of crude oil between ships off the Fife coast.

The proposal by SPT Marine, which is designed to save a day’s shipping time as the oil is moved across the globe from Russia to America and the Far East, has been roundly condemned by those who fear any spillage could lead to an environmental and ecological disaster.

But at the meeting, Forth Ports group chief executive Charles Hammond stressed, “We take our role as guardians of the Firth of Forth seriously.”

He said, “We continue to consider proposals to carry out ship-to-ship transfers of oil.

“These plans are being assessed to ensure that such operations, if approved, would be carried out in an inherently safe manner and would not affect the environment of the firth.”

Mr Hammond added, “The results of the assessment will be published on our website and comments will be invited from interested parties before any final decision is taken on the proposals.”

After the meeting, Mr Hammond met the campaigners and accepted a near-2000-strong petition protesting at the plans.

The Green party has promised “tough and immediate action” to ensure Executive ministers, not a private company, have the final say on plans for the ship-to-ship oil transfers.

The party has been a leading voice in the campaign to stop the plans and pledged to fast-track legislative changes within 100 days if it has a role in government after today’s election.

Mark Ruskell, top Green candidate for Mid-Scotland and Fife, said, “Forth Ports has been acting as if they are beyond censure but even their shareholders are beginning to ask awkward questions about why the company is contemplating such a dangerous operation.

“We’re appealing to shareholders to listen to the concerns of the thousands that have signed petitions, to speak up and force the company to do the right thing by throwing these plans out.

“The recent massive sewage spill in the Forth was a stark reminder of the disastrous consequences of giving private companies responsibility for keeping our environment clean and safe.”

Forth Ports also used the meeting to announce multi-million-pound plans to enhance the group’s financial clout and reputation for rapid and sustained growth, writes James Rougvie.

Chief executive Charles Hammond said the firm is already preparing ground at Tilbury for its port to be the port of choice for the Olympics in 2012.

He disclosed container volume continues to grow at Grangemouth where they plan a modern distribution hub, also preparing to lodge the largest planning application Edinburgh has ever seen, for the redevelopment of Leith docks.

Just over a month ago, Forth Ports gave an assurance they had substantially replaced the business lost at Dundee harbour when the world’s largest producer of newsprint and magazine paper ended its 40-year association with the city.

Mr Hammond said Forth Ports’ plans will add hundreds of millions to the Scottish economy.