Union claims strike by offshore workers could disrupt fuel supplies: what Unite, Apache and our forecourt data say

Update, 21 October: the strike went ahead

The 24-hour strike by Apache offshore workers began at 6am today, the Express reported this morning, with workers at several of the company's North Sea platforms walking out in the pay dispute. No settlement has been announced, and Unite had published no notice suspending the action when we checked at 10:40am.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told the Express it does not expect the strike to disrupt fuel supplies. It said the UK has a diverse and resilient fuel supply, that oil from this pipeline is mostly exported, and that it monitors supplies continually. Apache says it plans to keep its operations safe throughout the action.

Our reading of the national Fuel Finder scheme at 10:30am today shows diesel averaging 198.8p a litre across 5,200 forecourts and petrol 173.5p across 5,004. Diesel is unchanged and petrol is 0.1p lower than when we first reported on 19 October. The share of forecourts charging £2 or more for diesel is 23.5%, down from 24.4% in our first report on 19 October.

The advice is unchanged: buy fuel as normal. There is no reason to fill up early.

A second 24-hour strike is set for 6am on Wednesday 4 November to 5:59am on Thursday 5 November, unless the dispute is settled first. We will update this page then.

The strike: who, where and when

Unite, the union for many offshore workers, says more than 160 workers employed by the oil and gas operator Apache are striking for 24 hours from 6am on Wednesday 21 October until 5:59am on Thursday 22 October. A second 24-hour strike is set for 6am on 4 November to 5:59am on 5 November.

Seven Apache assets linked to the Forties and Beryl fields in the North Sea are expected to be affected. The dispute is about pay: Unite says the offer amounts to a real-terms pay cut for many workers, from a pay freeze to below-inflation rises, while Apache says it offered a 4% increase for employees in the bargaining unit. Talks through the conciliation service Acas were scheduled before the first strike, though Unite said Apache had shown no willingness to settle; no settlement has been announced.

What the union says about fuel

Unite's warning is about the Forties Pipeline System. It says the strike could bring Apache's Forties Charlie platform to a standstill, and that the resulting lack of pressure could take the whole pipeline system down. It says UK fuel supplies could be “severely disrupted”.

The Forties Pipeline System is operated by INEOS and carries crude oil and gas liquids from the central North Sea to Scotland. Unite estimates that more than 80 offshore fields and the St Fergus gas plant flow into it, and says it is reported to handle about 29% of the UK's oil and 30% of its gas. Those are the union's figures.

What Apache says

Apache says its pay offer is fair. On the pipeline, it says it does not anticipate that the industrial action would affect other producers' ability to keep operating through the Forties system, and that any reduction in pipeline pressure if its own production stopped would be comparable to a routine maintenance outage.

It says it plans to keep experienced staff on the Forties Charlie platform, even if all five of its Forties platforms are suspended, so the plant can keep running and support continued flows for other users.

Would it reach the pumps?

The pipeline carries crude oil, not the petrol and diesel sold at forecourts. Road fuel comes from refineries in the UK and abroad, and a large share of it is imported ready-made: Fuels Industry UK, the industry's trade body, estimates that about 55% of the UK's road diesel is imported. So even a pause in North Sea crude flows is not the same thing as forecourts running dry.

Neither Unite nor Apache has said forecourts will run short this week. The government says it does not expect the strike to disrupt fuel supplies. The 24-hour strike is about production in the North Sea; the question that matters at home is whether deliveries to filling stations change, and there is no sign of that. The government's National Emergency Plan for Fuel exists for a severe national shortage, and none has been declared. Our check on the rationing headlines explains how that plan works.

What our forecourt data showed when the strike was called

We read the national Fuel Finder scheme, which forecourts are required to report their prices to, every day. On 19 October, diesel averaged 198.8p a litre across the 5,292 forecourts reporting a diesel price, and petrol 173.6p across 5,074. About a quarter of forecourts (24.4%) were charging £2 or more for diesel.

Prices are drifting down, not up: a week earlier, on 12 October, diesel averaged 199.6p and petrol 174.6p. Northern Ireland remains the cheapest part of the UK, with diesel at 190.8p. A strike-driven supply problem would show up as stations reporting out of stock or sudden price jumps; we will update this page if either appears.

Our fuel price tracker has today's figures, and a postcode check for the cheapest forecourts near you.

The lesson of 2021

In September 2021 queues formed and many forecourts in England ran dry, but the country had not run out of fuel. The government said at the time that there was no shortage of fuel; a shortage of tanker drivers had slowed deliveries to some stations, and a rush to fill up did the rest. When everyone fills up at once, the tankers cannot keep pace, even with plenty of fuel at the terminals.

Our guide to fuel shortages explains how forecourts are resupplied and why the calm response gets the pumps working again within days.

What to do

Buy fuel as normal. If you like a margin, keep the tank above a quarter, as you would before any long trip; there is no need to fill up early because of this strike.

Do not fill cans to hoard. The law lets you keep up to 30 litres of petrol at home without telling anyone, in suitable containers, in a garage or shed away from the house and from anything that could ignite it; keeping more means notifying your local Petroleum Enforcement Authority. Petrol must never be stored indoors.