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Exploration on the West Coast of Britain West of Britain: Introduction To the west of the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland, where the shallow waters of the UK geological Continental Shelf meet the deeper waters of the North Atlantic, lies the region known as the Atlantic Margin. The rock beneath the seabed holds large amounts of crude oil and gas, trapped many miles beneath the bottom of the ocean between geological layers millions of years old. Oil companies have explored this area for more than 20 years. So far they have found reservoirs that contain up to 1.5 billion barrels of crude oil that could be extracted. These reserves would be the equivalent of 5% of all UK oil discoveries to date. This briefing is an explanation of the activities of these oil companies, known collectively as West of Britain operators. It also includes general guidance on the basic principles behind oil exploration and production. The protection of the environment is of paramount importance to all West of Britain operators. In this briefing each description of the phases of oil industry activity in the Atlantic Margin is accompanied by an explanation of the specific measures taken to minimise any potential impacts on marine wildlife and plant life.