Complaints about the “scourge” of oil rigs in the Cromarty Firth have increased in the past month, as the industry downturn has forced ships to lose their jobs.
The Port of Highland has seen a “significant increase” in the number of unused rigs arriving since April due to the Covid-19 epidemic, which canceled fuel demand and related drilling.
Between May 29 and July 1, 19 formal complaints were made to the Highland Council, up from just five in the previous 10 months, according to Freedom of Information statistics.
Each was related to noise, light and vibration from the platforms, some of which have been in place for several years.
The Port of Cromarty Firth said the problem “should be short lived” and that the group is working with the board and platform owners to respond to complaints.
However, Black Isle councilor Craig Fraser, who described it as an “oil rig cemetery”, is skeptical of a recovery.
He said, “I may be cynical but I will believe it when I see it.
“I am lucky that my property does not face any of the platforms, but you can still hear the tannoy at different times of the day and there is the noise of the generators.
“There seems to be poor communication between the port authority and the community council, and the people of Cromarty are ravaged by noise and light.”
Fraser said the port has a “duty of care” to neighboring communities, particularly to communicate the arrival of new ships.
In April, the number of rigs in the Cromarty Firth increased to 17, and residents said this week that the number was now 14.
One such vessel is the Wilhunter rig operated by Awilco Drilling, which has been in place since 2015.
A spokeswoman for the port of Cromarty Firth said the platforms “will create much-needed jobs for locals”, many of whom lost their jobs because of the virus when activity resumes.
She added, “We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of rigs arriving in the past four months due to the collapse in demand for oil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“However, we anticipate that this situation will be short-lived and that these platforms will resume activity when drilling and exploration activities resume in the North Sea.
“While the platforms are with us, we work closely with the platform managers to minimize any disruption to local communities.”
The Highland Council said that Covid-19 meant that noise monitoring was not possible on residents’ properties, but the environmental team will do so in the coming weeks if further complaints are to be made.
A spokesperson added that mitigation measures have been taken “on every occasion so far” to reduce noise levels.
Another problem raised by Mr. Fraser was the lack of compensation from the communities of Cromarty for the disturbance of the drilling rig, which was taken up by local resident Sheila Currie.
She said, “The oil rigs have been there for a long time and they will be for a long time, but they are louder and brighter these days. Invergordon also suffers, but also benefits.
“There must be long-term, consistent and significant financial compensation for communities that see no advantage in terms of local employment, especially in the parishes of Cromarty and Resolis, where we only have the disadvantages.
“If it were wind farms, there would be a community benefit built into the arrangements. We need similar arrangements for the Cromarty Firth. “
Platform owners pay docking fees to drop off their ships there.
