Rosebank: Life on the oil field at the centre of a political storm

Neil McCulloch, chief executive of Adura – which owns 80% of Rosebank and is a joint venture between Shell and the Norwegian state energy firm, Equinor – is optimistic.

He points out that Rosebank contains not just oil but gas which would be piped to Shetland and on to the St Fergus terminal in Aberdeenshire, with the potential to heat 500,000 British homes at peak production.

Approval of this project, argues McCulloch, could pave the way for four more Jackdaw-sized gas developments in the waters west of Shetland – Tornado, Tornado East, Tobermory and Suilven.

"We would like to proceed with them," he said.