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:
Update: Toxic Feed Barge Salvaged Off Portree Heading to Loch Carron & then Ardyne!
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"
Bakkafrost's Scottish Salmon Nightmare Gets Worse with 10,000 Tonne Black Hole in Scotland!
Bakkafrost is Dead in the Water in Scotland – 2021 Annual Report Details "Deadly Cocktail"!
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)
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:
Date: Tue, Dec 13, 2022 at 11:00 AM
Subject: Waste disposal of 690 tons of "contaminated water & feed"?
To: <scottish.ministers@gov.scot>, Stan Woznicki <Stan.Woznicki@mcga.gov.uk>, HM Coastguard <HMCoastguard@mcga.gov.uk>, Sarah Walker <Sarah.Walker@mcga.gov.uk>, Media <publicrelations@sepa.org.uk>, SM-APHA-Enquiries APHA <enquiries@apha.gov.uk>, <APHA.Scotland@apha.gov.uk>, <enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk>
Cc: Public Relations <public.relations@mcga.gov.uk>, <infoline@mcga.gov.uk>, Ian Blackford <ian.blackford.mp@parliament.uk>, John Finlayson (Councillor) <john.finlayson.cllr@highland.gov.uk>, Calum Munro (Councillor) <calum.munro.cllr@highland.gov.uk>, Drew Millar (Councillor) <Drew.Millar.cllr@highland.gov.uk>, Ruraidh Stewart (Councillor) <Ruraidh.Stewart.cllr@highland.gov.uk>, <chief.executive@highland.gov.uk>, <SFRS.Media@firescotland.gov.uk>, <sar.response@mcga.gov.uk>, <marinepollution@nature.scot>, <ms.spillresponse@gov.scot>, <hpt.highland@nhs.scot>, <murdo.macaulay@mca.gov.uk>, <n.dundeecontrol@firescotland.gov.uk>, <navigation@nlb.org.uk>, <zone36@hmcg.gov.uk>, <enquiries@crownestatescotland.com>, Forbes K (Kate), MSP <Kate.Forbes.msp@parliament.scot>, <scc.mail@sepa.org.uk>, spillresponse@marlab.ac.uk <spillresponse@marlab.ac.uk>, <alert@maib.gov.uk>, <emergency.planning@highland.gov.uk>, <HQ_counterpollution@mcga.gov.uk>, <HQ_SOSrep@mcga.gov.uk>, <ahsh@sepa.org.uk>, Pollard, Peter <peter.pollard@sepa.org.uk>
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