The chief executive of Amec, which employs around 4,500 people in the North Sea, said that “being together is a better outcome” for Scotland, and warned of the looming decommissioning liabilities.
“I believe in the UK, that being together is a better outcome for both the Scots and the English,” said Samir Brikho in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph.

Brikho said a Yes vote in the referendum in September would create uncertainty at a time when the North Sea faced both a huge bill for decommissioning and the need for “billions of pounds” of investment to maximise oil and gas production.

The UK government has also warned that the Scottish government would have to invest the equivalent of £3,800 for every person in Scotland to honour the UK’s tax commitments for decommissioning North Sea oil and gas fields.

Amec is the latest large employer in the North Sea to call for Scotland to remain in the UK.

Companies employing thousands of people in Scotland, including Shell and BP, have said that being part of the UK provides the best future for the country.

Brikho warned of the growing liabilities associated with shutting down old rigs after 40 years of drilling in the North Sea.

“A lot of installations have come to an end-life status. What are we going to do with the platforms out in the North Sea? Leave them there, or take them back home?”

“You can’t just cut the top. You have pipes filled with oil. It will never happen unless you say, ‘If you take home two or three, we’ll give you a tax break on your next investment’.”

He added that the closure costs would run to “billions and billions. I think there will be business for the next 50 years”.