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5 January 2011
Last updated at 21:44 ET
A committee of MPs has raised "serious doubts" about the UK's ability to combat oil spills from deep sea rigs following the BP Gulf of Mexico oil disaster last year.
They also warned that taxpayers could pay for a major spill in the North Sea.
But they said a moratorium on deep sea drilling would undermine the UK's energy security and is unecessary.
Energy Minister Charles Hendry "welcomed" the report and said he would consider its recommendations in detail.
MPs singled out the the "harsh conditions" off the west coast of Shetland, off the coast of Scotland, where oil wells are being drilled more than 1,000 metres deep, saying they had "serious doubts" about the ability of clean-up equipment to function in such an environment.
Committee chairman Tim Yeo said: "The harsh and windy conditions in the North Sea would make an oil spill off the coast of Shetland very difficult to contain or clean up".
The report also warned that a lack of clarity surrounding liability rules in the UK "could see taxpayers pick up the tab for a major oil spill in the North Sea".
'Intimidation' Mr Yeo also questioned the response plans currently in place at oil exploration firms, saying that such plans must be site-specific and not generic.
"Companies cannot continue producing cut and paste oil spill response plans and rig operators must make it easier for staff to raise concerns without fear of intimidation," he said.
The MPs said the commercial pressures to keep on drilling were so great that workers who drew attention to safety problems "may be - or feel - intimidated by their managers".
They also noted contradictions in Health and Safety Executive reports about bullying and harassment on oil rigs.
Mixed response Mr Hendry said the government "welcomes the committee's thorough and comprehensive report".
"We note in particular that the committee supports the government's view that a moratorium on UK deepwater drilling is not warranted."
Industry body Oil & Gas UK also welcomed the report's finding that a moratorium was unecessary.
"We also warmly welcome the committee's utter rejection of calls for increased regulatory oversight from the European Commission," added the group's chief executive Malcolm Webb.
However, the report was not universally praised.
Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said: "This report lists all the reasons why a ban on deep sea drilling makes sense and then ignores its own findings".
"The oil companies have no idea how they would deal with a major spill off the coast of the UK but apparently we're supposed to trust them until they come up with an adequate plan."
The MPs' report is a response to the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in April last year - that blast killed 11 workers and spilled millions of barrels of oil over several months.
The oil leak became one of the worst oil spills in history.
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They also warned that taxpayers could pay for a major spill in the North Sea.
But they said a moratorium on deep sea drilling would undermine the UK's energy security and is unecessary.
Energy Minister Charles Hendry "welcomed" the report and said he would consider its recommendations in detail.
MPs singled out the the "harsh conditions" off the west coast of Shetland, off the coast of Scotland, where oil wells are being drilled more than 1,000 metres deep, saying they had "serious doubts" about the ability of clean-up equipment to function in such an environment.
Committee chairman Tim Yeo said: "The harsh and windy conditions in the North Sea would make an oil spill off the coast of Shetland very difficult to contain or clean up".
The report also warned that a lack of clarity surrounding liability rules in the UK "could see taxpayers pick up the tab for a major oil spill in the North Sea".
'Intimidation' Mr Yeo also questioned the response plans currently in place at oil exploration firms, saying that such plans must be site-specific and not generic.
"Companies cannot continue producing cut and paste oil spill response plans and rig operators must make it easier for staff to raise concerns without fear of intimidation," he said.
The MPs said the commercial pressures to keep on drilling were so great that workers who drew attention to safety problems "may be - or feel - intimidated by their managers".
They also noted contradictions in Health and Safety Executive reports about bullying and harassment on oil rigs.
Mixed response Mr Hendry said the government "welcomes the committee's thorough and comprehensive report".
"We note in particular that the committee supports the government's view that a moratorium on UK deepwater drilling is not warranted."
Industry body Oil & Gas UK also welcomed the report's finding that a moratorium was unecessary.
"We also warmly welcome the committee's utter rejection of calls for increased regulatory oversight from the European Commission," added the group's chief executive Malcolm Webb.
However, the report was not universally praised.
Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said: "This report lists all the reasons why a ban on deep sea drilling makes sense and then ignores its own findings".
"The oil companies have no idea how they would deal with a major spill off the coast of the UK but apparently we're supposed to trust them until they come up with an adequate plan."
The MPs' report is a response to the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in April last year - that blast killed 11 workers and spilled millions of barrels of oil over several months.
The oil leak became one of the worst oil spills in history.
Online Business Consulting | Internet Business Consulting