All fuel removed from sunken fish farm ship, says coastguard

All the remaining fuel held on a ship which was leaking oil after sinking at a fish farm in the Sound of Mull has now been removed, according to the coastguard.

The landing craft Julie Anne, operated by Scottish Sea Farms, went down on 4 July near the company’s Fiunary salmon farming site.

Footage later emerged of the slick being sealed off near salmon nets.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) previously said steps were taken to limit the spread of oil and it was not aware of any fish being harmed.

Scottish Sea Farms has said no fish have been sent to retailers since the sinking.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has now said the leak “does not currently pose a significant or long-term pollution risk”.

A spokesperson said: “As expected, a small amount of pollution is still being observed but volumes are small and dispersing.

“Given the current flow in the area concerned, small quantities lost from containment are inevitable, which is why oil removal from the wreck has been prioritised.”

Scottish Sea Farms is the main supplier of farmed salmon to Marks & Spencer.

A spokesman for the retailer said: “While our supplier follows all industry procedures, we are not taking from this site and customers can be reassured we carry out safety and quality testing on all our salmon.”

Scottish Sea Farms said it made the decision to keep its fish on the farm immediately after the sinking.

Company spokesman Andy Gourlay said: “It’s due diligence and what any responsible food producer would do.

“The focus, in the days since, has been on containing and removing the fuel onboard and, with that now done, refloating the vessel.

“Once achieved, we will, without question, test the fish on farm to ensure they meet all food safety standards – this testing being in addition to the robust testing regime we uphold on all our fish, all year round.”

A failed attempt to recover the 15m (49ft) vessel, which is lying 20m down on the seabed off the Ardnamurchan coast, was carried out on 21 July.

The coastguard said further efforts would be made to raise it before a full inspection is carried out to establish the cause of the sinking.