A new report from the conservation group Oceana reveals that oil pollution in UK waters by the fossil fuel industry has been “significantly underestimated,” posing a severe risk to marine wildlife.
The report highlights a high frequency of small-scale oil releases, known as chronic oiling, in the North Sea, which Oceana says is far more extensive than previously reported due to opaque reporting systems. Oil companies are required to report both accidental oil spills and discharges of “produced water” – a waste product containing oil and other toxic chemicals.
While these companies are allowed to discharge a limited volume of produced water, breaches of these limits are reported separately, which, according to Oceana, skews the total amount of oil pollution recorded.
Using official data, Oceana estimates that when including both accidental spills and breaches of permitted discharges, the total volume of oil pollution in UK waters should be revised upwards 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.”
Oceana has criticised regulators for insufficient oversight, calling fines against polluting companies “a drop in the ocean” compared to their profits. The group is urging for more inspections and stricter enforcement to prevent further spills and breaches. A freedom of information request by Oceana found that only 15% of oil and gas installations were inspected by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (Opred) in 2023, down from 25% the previous year.
Over the past five years, only two fines or convictions for oil pollution have been recorded, including a £7,000 fine against BP for a 95-tonne spill, which BP acknowledged as a failure to meet its “high standards.” Oceana’s report also noted that five companies, led by Total E&P, were responsible for 80% of spills between 2011 and 2024, while Repsol, a Spanish oil giant, accounted for most permit breach discharges. Alarmingly, 248 such breaches occurred within protected 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, Offshore Energies UK’s director of health, safety, and environment, responded to the report, citing recent Opred data indicating a reduction in oil mass within produced water 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.”
Oceana, however, insists that without more stringent regulations and accountability, the risks to marine ecosystems from chronic oil pollution will persist.
Repsol, approached for comment, referred 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”.
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