Staff from numerous authorities in the Dartmouth and Torbay areas of Devon have deemed a full-scale oil spill training exercise carried out off the coast of Torquay a success.

Speaking to the Herald Express, Torquay harbourmaster Kevin Mowat and his Dartmouth counterpart Dave White said that the event, held every three years, involved close collaboration between Devon county council and the Environment Agency.

"We chose a time of year when it's relatively quiet, so as to cause as little disruption to people as possible," added Dave White.

Torbay has seen a lot of tanker activity in recent months, but Mr Mowat explained that the training event was a preparation for a smaller-scale spill, as any incident involving a tanker would be covered by a national emergency response plan.

Many oil shipping firms have used tankers as storage depots in recent months as oil prices entered a sharp contango, where front-month delivery contracts are worth less than longer-term futures.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development