Oil has played a significant role in the recent history of these beautiful northerly islands, washed by the Gulf Stream at the crossroads of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
There have been problems, notably when the oil tanker Braer ran aground and spilled crude off Sumburgh Head in the early 1990s.
However, as far as the indigenous oil industry is concerned, locals seem to value its contribution to their prosperity and appear generally content to have one of the world’s largest oil terminals in their midst.
Alastair
