Oil spill firms to be named and shamed

Oil industry companies responsible for the release of oil and gas into the North Sea are to be named and shamed, it has been revealed.

Steve Walker, the head of the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) offshore division, revealed yesterday at Offshore Europe, a biennial event, that the possibility of identifying companies responsible for leaks was being actively discussed with Oil & Gas UK.

Under the current system, the HSE releases overall figures about the number of releases but does not name the companies or operations involved, with details only available through the Freedom of Information Act.

"There has been pressure on us to be more transparent, there is more expected on this," said Mr Walker said, adding: "We could do it in a more attributable way."

Health and safety director Robert Paterson said that he supported the move and was hopeful that the changes could help the oil industry identify areas of improvement.