THIRTY jobs are at risk of being lost at an oil terminal in Shetland, it has emerged.
Energy firm EnQuest has confirmed that it has started a consultation process with staff over voluntary redundancies at its Sullom Voe Terminal on the island.
Bosses at the firm said the decision to cut jobs at the site is designed to secure a “long-term and sustainable future for the terminal”.
EnQuest took over the running of the facility from BP in December 2017, which at its peak in the 1980s saw more than 1.5 million barrels of oil processed every day.
That figure is reportedly now less than 100,000.
Paula Buchan, Unite industrial officer, said: “Unite is deeply concerned by the proposal of EnQuest to slash its workforce by around a quarter.
“We understand this could mean around 40 posts being lost, with EnQuest proposing that these cuts be delivered through a voluntary redundancy process.
“Unite will continue to fight for all jobs at Sullom Voe and we will vociferously resist any proposal to make these cuts through compulsory means.”
EnQuest is reportedly now also looking at new energy ventures at the terminal, such as carbon capture and storage.
An EnQuest spokesperson: “EnQuest confirms that it has begun a consultation process at the Sullom Voe Terminal (SVT), with the aim of achieving the required workforce reduction through a voluntary process.
“This process is aligned with the ongoing transformation of SVT, which has been designed to secure a long-term and sustainable future for the terminal, enabling continued operations until at least 2036.”
