A 17,000-tonne oil rig which ran aground in Scotland is expected to be towed to Turkey this month.

The Transocean Winner went adrift during a storm on August 8 and grounded on Lewis in the Western Isles.

It was later towed to Broad Bay on the far side of the island, where it is being inspected for damage by divers.

Salvage expert Hugh Shaw, who is in charge of the operation to recover the rig, said it is likely to be towed to Turkey for decommissioning by the end of September.

Island politicians had hoped that Transocean would consider scrapping it in the Western Isles.

Mr Shaw said: “From the onset, our aim has been to keep the local community fully aware of our future plans and intentions.

“Given the level of interest, we will be more than happy to have the key players explain how the next part of the operation will be managed.”

The vessel is likely to be loaded onto a semi-submersible heavy lifting vessel and transported as “dry cargo”.

The rig was on its way from Norway to be decommissioned when it broke free from the tugboat Alp Forward and crashed into the shore near Carloway.

Two of its four fuel tanks ruptured in the collision and spilled about 53,000 litres of diesel into the sea. Most of the pollution is believed to have dispersed harmlessly.

A recovery operation is under way to retrieve about 40 pieces of metal debris left behind in Dalmore Bay.

Source: stv.tv