BP prepares plan for Shetland oil spill

Oil industry giant BP has outlined its contingency plans to fight the largest oil spill in history as it prepares to start drilling off the coast of Shetland.

The oil firm is planning to drill more than 4,000 feet below the Atlantic off the Shetland Islands, an area rich in wildlife.

BP had planned to start the operation in the North Uist area, which is some 80 miles north-west of Shetland, in 2010 but the plans were put on hold following the Deepwater Horizon spill.

Drilling is now set to start next year, once it has received approval.

"BP will be using the 'state-of-the-art' Stena Carron drillship, which has experience of deepwater drilling West of Shetland. Key lessons from the Deepwater Horizon incident have been incorporated into the overall planning for this well," said a spokesman for the oil industry firm.

However, John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, warned that a spill at the site could be the world's worst ever.