The departure of the oil tanker Australis from Loch Long marks the end of an era for the Finnart oil terminal, which has played a significant role in Scotland’s energy infrastructure for decades.
Key Points
- Australis, a 330-metre oil tanker, had been moored at Finnart since March 2019 for fuel storage.
- The ship has been sold and is now heading to Falmouth, Cornwall, before continuing to the Middle East.
- Finnart Terminal Closure:
- The closure is linked to the shutdown of the Grangemouth refinery, which it was connected to via pipeline.
- A proposal to convert Finnart for diesel imports was abandoned, leading to 20 job losses.
Historical Significance of Finnart Terminal
- Built by the US Navy in WWII as a deep-water fuel import site, safe from Luftwaffe attacks.
- Originally connected to the Grangemouth refinery via pipeline.
- Ownership passed to BP after the war, with infrastructure expanding in the 1950s and 1970s.
- Currently owned by Petroineos (a joint venture between Ineos and PetroChina).
Future of Grangemouth Refinery
- A Scottish and UK government report on the site’s future, called Project Willow, is expected next week.
- The refinery is set to close soon, putting 400 jobs at risk.
- Scottish officials urge Petroineos to explore job relocation options instead of redundancies.
The closure of Finnart and Grangemouth signals a major shift in Scotland’s oil industry, raising concerns about employment and future energy strategy.
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Source: BBC
