North Sea strike threat puts UK fuel supplies at risk of ‘severe disruption’
Owners of major asset decline to speculate on impact of strike action
A major pipeline system which transports a sizeable proportion of the UK’s oil and gas to the mainland could face “severe” disruption as a result of industrial action, according to a leading union.
Unite said more than 160 offshore oil workers are considering strike action that could impact UK fuel supplies transported via a key energy pipeline asset.
It said workers at the North Sea oil and gas operator, Apache, have blacked strike action amid a pay dispute. The union warned that the action could begin this month and would include seven Apache assets associated with the Forties and Beryl oil fields.
Those assets include the “critical” Charlie platform, which Unite said could be “brought to a standstill,” and result in a lack of pressure that could lead to the entire Forties pipeline system (FPS) “going down.”
However, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said the UK had a “diverse and resilient” fuel supply.
The FPS is one of the UK’s most strategically important oil pipelines, and can carry up to 600,000 barrels of crude oil from the North Sea to the mainland every day. The subsea pipeline extends from the Charlie platform via the Forties Unity platform to a landfall at Cruden Bay.
The integrated oil and gas-liquid transportation and processing system is owned by INEOS. According to Unite, it handles approximately 29 per cent of the UK's oil and 30 per cent of its gas. At its peak, it carried around 40 per cent of all UK oil production.
Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “We will not tolerate unacceptable pay offers and threats to withhold back pay from Apache.
“The operator is raking in eye-watering profits. It’s treating its highly-skilled workers with contempt. Apache has been caught red-handed in embarking on shameful corporate greed.”
According to Unite, its members at Apache rejected an offer which amounted to a “real terms pay cut” for many workers, ranging from a pay freeze to below inflation increases.
It said the firm also set deadlines for reaching an agreement over back pay, and indicated payments may be withheld leaving workers potentially thousands of pounds out of pocket.
The workers involved in the dispute include electrical, instrument, mechanical and production technicians, alongside telecoms technicians and radio operators.
The union’s industrial officer, Stevie Davies, added: “Unite’s members are being left with no option but to take strike action. Any disruption to Apache’s platforms would have a direct hit on the Forties pipeline and potentially severely affecting the UK’s fuel supplies.
“The behaviour of Apache is reckless and it could have far reaching consequences for workers, operators and consumers.”
Asked about Unite’s claim of industrial action impacting FPS operations, a spokesman for INEOS said: “We can’t comment on industrial action that may or may not be taken by employees of another company, or speculate on its potential impact.”
In a statement, Apache said it had “engaged constructively” throughout the pay discussions, describing its final offer as “fair.” It explained: “Apache acknowledges the result of Unite’s ballot of members following the conclusion of discussions on the 2026 pay review. A vote in favour of industrial action does not mean that action will automatically take place.
“We believe our final offer to the union is fair and recognises the contribution of our offshore workforce, alongside the wider benefits in our total rewards package. The proposed pay increase is also in line with that awarded to our non-unionised employees earlier this year.
“Our offer provides a four per cent pay increase for employees in the bargaining unit, whose earnings already place them among the highest earners in the UK and whose offshore rota averages 153 working days a year.”
It added: “Based on our current contingency plans, we do not anticipate that industrial action would affect other producers’ ability to continue operating through the Forties pipeline system. Our plans include maintaining experienced personnel on Forties Charlie to operate the plant and support continued third-party production, even if production from all five Apache-operated Forties platforms were suspended.
“Any resulting reduction in pipeline pressure if Apache production was suspended would be comparable to that experienced during a routine maintenance outage.
“As a responsible operator, we are planning to maintain safe operations throughout any industrial action, with staffing and activities subject to ongoing assessment. The safety of our people and the safe operation of our assets remain our overriding priorities.”
The firm continued: “We respect the ballot result, but our preference remains to resolve this matter through constructive dialogue.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “We urge all parties to work together to resolve this issue without disruption. We have a diverse and resilient fuel supply. This is a crude oil pipeline and does not transport fuel.”
The prospect of the industrial action comes as average UK diesel prices have topped £2 a litre for the first time amid disruption to global supplies caused by the US/Israeli war against Iran and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Higher fuel prices helped to drive inflation to a five-month high in August, ramping up the cost of living for households. Last week, the UK and other leading G7 nations bowed to White House pressure and agreed to release 100 million barrels of fuel and oil from emergency stocks.
The FPS was opened by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1975, since which time it has delivered over 9.6 billion barrels of oil and gas from fields in the North Sea. Since has acquired the critical piece of national infrastructure in 2017, INEOS has invested more than half a billion pounds to modernise the system and extend its life into the 2040s.
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