Ship to ship oil transfers are to happen in the Firth of Forth

The MCA said it had told Forth Ports of its intention to approve an oil spill contingency plan, with some changes.

Under the scheme oil will be transferred from Russian ships to supertankers for onward shipment.

Opponents said they were "extremely concerned" by the decision and described the consultation as a "sham".

Those who have campaigned against the scheme include Fife, Edinburgh and East Lothian councils as well as the RSPB, Scottish Green Party and Friends of the Earth.

Sunderland firm Melbourne Marine Services Ltd wants to transfer oil from Russia to other vessels bound for China or eastern Europe.

Forth Ports is in favour of the plan to transfer Russian oil to tankers, four miles off the Fife coast, at rates of up to 3,000 tonnes per hour.

We have been badly let down by the legislators, this is very bad news Robin Harper MSP Scottish Green Party Court battle warning

It has already said safety will be paramount.

Forth Ports has three weeks to comment on the changes to the oil spill contingency plan proposed by the MCA after its public consultation

In a statement, the MCA said it had wanted to "assess the implications of the revised contingency plans for relevant nature conservation sites".

"The consultation was designed to establish whether the revised plans would adversely affect the integrity of those sites and concerned the adequacy of the contingency plans to deal with incidents in the harbour authority's area of responsibility."

Ship to ship oil transfers already take place at Scapa Flow in Orkney

Fife Council leader Anne McGovern said: "We'll look at all the legal options to ensure we can do all we can to oppose these outrageous plans."

An East Lothian Council spokesman said: "We are unhappy with this decision and we will maintain our opposition to the plan."

Robin Harper, Scottish Green Party MSP for the Lothians, believes the transfer of oil in the Forth could pose a major hazard.

He said: "We have been badly let down by the legislators, this is very bad news."

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Scotland said it was "extremely concerned" by the decision, while Friends of the Earth Scotland described the consultation as "a complete sham".

A Forth Ports spokesman said: "A central objective of Forth Ports, as the competent statutory harbour authority for the Firth of Forth, is to ensure the safety of all operations in the Forth.

"As a result we see the expertise of the MCA as playing a vital role in helping us create this safe environment and we welcome their feedback on the Oil Spill Contingency Plan covering STS transfers and the proposed amendments to the overarching Clearwater Forth contingency plan.