TWENTY jobs are set to be lost at an oil terminal on Loch Long after its impending closure was confirmed.

The Finnart facility near Garelochhead will shut next summer, subject to consultation.

The announcement comes after Petroineos revealed its Grangemouth oil refinery - connected to Finnart via a pipeline - will also close in 2025, with the loss of hundreds of jobs.

The closure of the Grangemouth site was due to its inability to compete with rivals in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, according to the company.

Last November, Petroineos said that the terminal on Loch Long would remain open regardless of Grangemouth’s potential closure, being converted into a diesel import facility.

A spokesperson told the Advertiser that the ‘current position‘ was to close Finnart, subject to consultation.

They said: “Since the announcement in November 2023, Petroineos has spent over £1 million studying the Finnart conversion option in detail, including with the support of independent consultants.

"The conclusion of that study work is that the conversion is not necessary to maintain reliable supply of fuels into Scotland.

"Instead, our intention is to develop a 'virtual pipeline' of finished fuels from our European trading hub direct into the Grangemouth jetties for dispatch to customers.

“This will involve Petroineos taking a secured position through the whole supply chain: we have long-term global fuel supply contracts to draw on, bulk storage options for our fuels in ARA, and long-term charters of vessels required to shuttle products direct into the Grangemouth jetties.

"This supply optimisation, in parallel with a £30m investment in Grangemouth tankage and logistics, is a robust and cost-effective plan to ensure we continue to reliably deliver fuels to Scottish consumers long into the future.”

West Scotland MSP Ross Greer said it was a "bleak day" for the 20 workers at Finnart who face losing their jobs.

He added: "The Scottish Greens will continue working with trade unions to support the hundreds of affected workers across both sites.

"This decision comes after years of inaction from governments and industry, who should have been planning a just transition for Grangemouth and Finnart.

"It's not like this decision has come out of the blue. That lack of planning was starkly illustrated the day before this announcement by the SNP publishing a Scottish Government Green Industrial Strategy with zero mention of Grangemouth or Finnart.

"Both governments are now reacting to events rather than implementing a pre-agreed plan to protect jobs."