Oil pollution in UK waters far worse than reported, says conservation group

‘Opaque’ recording system means recorded volume of everyday oil pollution over the past decade should be increased by 43%, according to Oceana report

The true extent of oil pollution released into UK waters by the fossil fuel industry has been “significantly underestimated” and it is putting marine wildlife at risk, according to a report released today.

The conservation group Oceana said chronic oiling, defined as frequent, small scale releases, into the North Sea was much higher than estimated due to an “opaque” system of reporting oil discharges and spills.

Oil companies must report both accidental oil spills and intentional discharges of so-called produced water – a byproduct that can contain oil and other toxic chemicals. The companies are allowed to release a certain volume of produced water but breaches of permitted levels are reported separately so escape full scrutiny, according to Oceana’s report. This caused underreporting of the total amount of oil released into the sea, it claimed.

Using official data, Oceana estimated that when accidental spills and breaches of permitted discharges were added together, the recorded volume of everyday oil pollution should be increased by 43% over the past decade.“The system has been set up in such an opaque way it makes it difficult to understand the full volume of oil that is being discharged via accidental spills and permit breaches,” said Hugo Tagholm, executive director of Oceana. “No one except oil insiders can be sure of the true scale of it.”

“Given so few sites are actually inspected, it is out of sight out of mind,” he said. “Even if people are caught, there is little enforcement.”

Tagholm accused regulators of inadequate oversight of the industry, describing fines as “a drop in the ocean” compared with corporate profits. Oceana is calling for an increase in inspections and enforcement measures to prevent spills and breaches.

A freedom of information request by Oceana revealed only 15% of oil and gas installations had been inspected by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (Opred) in 2023, down from 25% in 2022, according to the oceans group.

Over the past five years, there have been two recorded convictions or fines for oil pollution, one for £7,000 against BP for a spill of 95 tonnes of oil. BP said at the time it had “regrettably” fallen short of its “high standards”, and that the incident “should not have happened”.

Just five companies accounted for 80% of oil spills between 2011 and 2024, the Oceana report found, the worst offender being Total E&P. Five companies also accounted for 84% of all oil discharged via permit breaches, the worst being the Spanish oil giant Repsol, it said.

Oceana’s report found that 248 “permit breach” releases were in UK marine sanctuaries.

Dr Rosie Williams, a postdoctoral researcher at the Zoological Society of London, said: “A growing body of research now recognises that the steady release of oil and other toxins into marine environments poses a huge threat to marine life.”

A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “Every oil spill, and discharge non-conformance is investigated by Opred proportionately, which can take enforcement action against operators if needed, including the use of fines or referral for criminal prosecution. We review and update guidance as required.”

Mark Wilson, the health, safety, environment and operations director of Offshore Energies UK, which represents the industry, said that the latest Opred data, covering up until 2023, showed that oil mass in produced water had decreased since 2019. “Our industry is focused on driving continuous improvement in the production of oil and gas in the UK and communicating progress transparently and openly.”

Repsol, approached for comment, referred the Guardian to Offshore Energies UK. A spokesperson for Total Energies said: “We’ve taken action to reduce discharges to sea, including investing in produced water re-injection wells across our North Sea assets, whilst also continuing to reduce the overall emissions associated with our operations”.

Cover photo: A drilling rig working in UK waters. Oil companies must self-report accidental oil spills and intentional discharges of contaminated water. Photograph: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images