Public Health Scotland FOI: "an explosive risk.....supportive of the path closure" (but still no warning to the public)

 

 

A Freedom of Information disclosure by Public Health Scotland (12 December 2022) gives a glimpse into how the government authorities assessed risks to the public from a 'toxic' and 'explosive' sunken feed barge off Portree yet failed to communicate the risks to the general public (including walkers along the coastal path near the salmon farm which appears to have been closed).  Here's the FOI covering letter from Public Health Scotland to $camon Scotland (12 December 2022) - read in full online here:

 

 

 

 

The FOI disclosure from Public Health Scotland (12 December 2022) detailed two emails dated 16 and 30 August 2022 (download as a PDF online here):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another FOI disclosure by the Crown Estate (5 December 2022) detailed various risk assessments which were shared privately by government stakeholders but were never published.  Here's the Crown Estate's FOI covering letter to $camon $cotland (5 December 2022):

 

 

 

 

The Crown Estate's document dump (5 December 2022) disclosed 25 PDFs via a Zip folder:

 

 

 

The FOI disclosure (5 December 2022) included:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A salvage report in late May 2022 by Briggs Marine (the first salvage company hired by Bakkafrost Scotland/The Scottish Salmon Company) detailed the plan to remove the 690 tons of of waste water and feed - stating that "a route has been established to handle and dispose of the waste safely at a licensed facility" with Kishorn and Fairlie name-checked:

 

 

 

 

Download Briggs Marine report - 'Salvage Operation off Portree on behalf of the Scottish Salmon Company' - online here

 

 

A salvage report @briggsmarine detailed how 690 tons of contaminated water/feed would be shipped from Portree via Kishorn to Fairlie - then onto Maltings in Yorkshire for "confidential destruction" via 25 tanker loads. Is this plan still in place? @APHAgovuk @scotgov @ScottishEPA pic.twitter.com/ewzwsDtJyK

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 13, 2022

 

 

 

 

An email dated 14 July 2022 from The Scottish Salmon Company/Bakkafrost stated that: "We will be looking to operate a safety exclusion zone around the site and will send this info out to the relevant bodies tomorrow morning":

 

 

 

 

Another Briggs Marine salvage document dated 7 August 2022 (understood to have been circulated to stakeholders on 16 August 2022) included:

 

 

 

Download in full as a PDF online here

 

 

 

Another Briggs Marine salvage report dated 6 August 2022 (which appears to have been circulated on 18 August 2022) detailed Hydrogen Sulphide gas levels at 55,000 ppm which were referred to as in the "explosive range":

 

 

Download Briggs Marine salvage report as a PDF online here

 

 

 

A risk assessment from Vanderpers dated 16 August 2022 (understood to have been circulated to stakeholders on 29 August 2022) included:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Download Vanderpers risk assessment report in full online here

 

 

FOI disclosure @MCA_media on the 'toxic' & 'explosive' feed barge sunk off Portree! Why weren't the general public notified about the 'Toxic Threat Zone'?! @GaelForceGroup @HighlandCouncil @Folketrygdfond @ScotlandSalmon @fire_scot @scotgov @_KateForbes @scotgp @ScottishEPA pic.twitter.com/vtQurtgRo8

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 10, 2022

 

 

 

 

A FOI reply by Nature Scotland (12 December 2022) redacted the contractor's environmental and salvage plans claiming that disclosure "could result in a significant economic loss if they were widely available" and therefore were deemed "commercially sensitive":

 

 

 

 

Nature Scotland did disclose 40 pages of emails and other information (12 December 2022) - including:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Scottish Government reported in May that the contaminated water & feed from the salvaged Portree barge would be pumped out into holding tanks & "going to a waste facility" @scotgov @marinescotland
Is Fraserburgh (where the Viking Saga is now heading) the dumping ground? pic.twitter.com/e6g6fc0uw8

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 12, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

$camon $cotland also filed FOIs with Police Scotland, Highland Council, Fire Scotland and SEPA which are pending.  Other FOI disclosures by the Northern Lighthouse Board, the Scottish Government and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency raise serious red flags.

 

 

 

 

Explosive FOI Disclosure @NLB_UK shines a light on the sinking & salvage of the toxic @GaelForceGroup feed barge off Portree @briggsmarine
Nothing to see here! @Folketrygdfond @ScottishEPA @ScotlandSalmon @_KateForbes @WHFP1 @nature_scot @HighlandCouncil @MCA_media @fire_scot pic.twitter.com/w3tYE6x6FB

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 2, 2022

 

 

The West Highland Free Press reported last week (9 December 2022):

 

 

 

"A Skye resident who went kayaking in Portree bay near a sunken fish-feed barge has said she was given no indication that an exclusion zone was in place amid concerns over toxic gases" @WHFP1 "There were certainly no warnings to be seen & there were other kayakers too" pic.twitter.com/75UAS6YFbE

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 8, 2022

 

 

 

Read more via:

FOI disclosure by Maritime & Coastguard Agency (8 December 2022) - more documents on the 'toxic' & 'explosive' feed barge sunk off Portree!

Mowi's "totally appalling levels of safety, COPFS are going to prosecute" (says Maritime & Coastguard Agency in FOI disclosure)

Update: Toxic Feed Barge Salvaged Off Portree Heading to Loch Carron & then Ardyne!

WHFP: "Questions over fish-feed barge safety measures"

 

Photos of Portree Salvage Operation (next stop is Kishorn)

FOI Floodgates Open on "Explosive" Feed Barge Incident - document dump from Northern Lighthouse Board shines spotlight on salvage operation

P&J: "Stink raised over release of toxic chemicals from sunken fish farm barge off Skye"

Gael Force's Sinking Feeling: barges scuppered by bad weather or is the 'greed of feed' to blame?

Letter to Scottish Ministers re. "Explosive" Scottish Salmon - Please Defuse the Toxic Time-Bomb!

The Times: "Secret plans to evacuate island homes over toxic gas"

Risk Assessment Highlighted 'High' Risk of Exposure to Public from Toxic Hydrogen Sulphide Gases - Why the f*ck was there no public warning?

Bakkafrost is Dead in Water in Scotland - "Explosive" FOI Disclosure Lifts Lid on Hazardous Scottish Salmon!

Document dump by Scottish Government following FOI review: floodgates opened on "explosive" salmon barge off Portree!

Bakkafrost's Scottish Salmon Nightmare Gets Worse with 10,000 Tonne Black Hole in Scotland!

"Explosive" FOI disclosure from SEPA on Toxic Gases Spewing from The Scottish Salmon Company (Bakkafrost) Off Portree!

Bakkafrost is Dead in the Water in Scotland - 2021 Annual Report Details "Deadly Cocktail"!

Toxic Salmon Barge Salvaged This Month Off Portree (as revealed by FOI disclosure by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency)

500m exclusion zone near Portree Harbour in Skye as barge gives of rotten eggs smell

P&J: "Exclusion zone set up around Skye barge giving off rotten eggs smell"

"Experts tackle lethal gas leaking from sunken feed barge" (Fish Farming Expert)

BBC News: "'Rotten egg' gas leaking from fish feed barge wreck - 500m exclusion zone placed near Portree on Skye"

Toxic Gasses Spew From The Scottish Salmon Company (Bakkafrost Scotland) Off Portree

 

 

 

Letter to Scottish Ministers re. "Explosive" Scottish Salmon - Please Defuse the Toxic Time-Bomb! @scotgov @_KateForbes @MairiMcAllan @scotgp @MairiGougeon @ScottishEPA @ScotlandSalmon https://t.co/3bpKF35ry0 pic.twitter.com/1GMwl4Z8lH

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 18, 2022

 

 

 

 

ADDENDUM:

 

From: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Dec 13, 2022 at 11:00 AM
Subject: Waste disposal of 690 tons of "contaminated water & feed"?
To: <[email protected]>, Stan Woznicki <[email protected]>, HM Coastguard <[email protected]>, Sarah Walker <[email protected]>, Media <[email protected]>, SM-APHA-Enquiries APHA <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>
Cc: Public Relations <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, Ian Blackford <[email protected]>, John Finlayson (Councillor) <[email protected]>, Calum Munro (Councillor) <[email protected]>, Drew Millar (Councillor) <[email protected]>, Ruraidh Stewart (Councillor) <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, Forbes K (Kate), MSP <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, [email protected] <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, Pollard, Peter <[email protected]>

 

Further to previous questions on the ongoing salvage of the Portree feed barge (see below):

 

Where is the "contaminated water and feed" being transported to, stored and ultimately dumped?

 

Have 'Duty of Care Transfer Notes' (if in England) and/or 'Special Waste Consignment Notes' (if in Scotland) been issued to Bakkafrost, Marine Masters and/or the transport companies involved?

 

As context, a Briggs Marine salvage report in May 2022 (obtained from the Crown Estate via FOI on 5 December 2022) detailed how the waste disposal part of the salvage operation was planned to involve 690m tons of contaminated water and feed being unloaded at Fairlie quay onto tankers to Maltings Organic Treatment facility in North Yorkshire:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since Briggs Marine left the salvage operation in late August 2022 (to be replaced by Marine Masters) it is not clear if this is still the plan.

 

An alternative scenario, could have been the Viking Saga (Aquaship) unloading the 690 tons of contaminated water and feed off the uplifted GaelForce barge at the Portree site and transporting it to Fraserburgh (where the Viking Saga is currently docked).

 

 

 

 

 

Or is the contaminated cargo still contained within the hold of the salvaged GaelForce barge sitting on the deck of the Matador 3 (currently floating off Loch Carron/Kishorn)?

 

 

 

 

 

These questions have also been Tweeted via:

 

https://twitter.com/TheGAAIA/status/1602584933863927813

 

https://twitter.com/TheGAAIA/status/1602617902854725632

 

 

I have also copied into this email APHA and the Environment Agency who may be involved in the regulation of waste disposal along with SEPA and the Scottish Government.

 

Further information would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Don Staniford

 

Director, $camon $cotland 

 

 

 

 

Or is the contaminated cargo being offloaded in Fraserburgh off the Viking Saga (Aquaship) for waste disposal? Have 'Duty of Care Transfer Notes' been issued to the tanker company for transit to the waste treatment facility? @ScottishEPA @EnvAgency @scotgov @APHAgovuk @MCA_media https://t.co/gf9iIIUPTO pic.twitter.com/ySaBurzwyp

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 13, 2022