Warm Scottish welcome for UK’s first shale gas delivery from the US – in pictures

The ship arrives in the Firth of Forth on route to Grangemouth Oil refinery in Edinburgh, Scotland. Jeff J Mitchell / Getty

The tanker reverses under the Forth Bridge as it travels to dock at Grangemouth. Russell Cheyne / Reuters

A traditional Scottish piper plays as the tanker carrying the first shipment of US shale gas passes under the Forth Bridge. Russell Cheyne / Reuters

A bagpiper plays from the prow of the JS Ineon Insight. The carrier, transporting 27,500 cubic metres of ethane, was given a traditional Scottish welcome. Andy Buchanan / AFP

The JS Ineos Insight is the first of eight vessels shipping ethane from US shale fields, in a $2 billion dollar investment by chemical company Ineos. Jeff J Mitchell / Getty

The JS Ineon Insight. Ineos, the world's third-largest chemical company, will create a "virtual pipeline" with eight tankers transporting regular shipments across the Atlantic to Britain and Norway. Andy Buchanan / AFP

The tanker carrying the first shipment of US shale gas passes seals on a buoy as it travels to dock at Grangemouth in Scotland. Russell Cheyne / Reuters

The JS Ineon Insight arrives to dock at Grangemouth in Scotland. Andy Buchanan / AFP

The JS Ineon Insight, transporting 27,500 cubic metres of ethane, is the first of eight tankers transporting regular shipments across the Atlantic to Britain and Norway. Andy Buchanan / AFP

The JS Ineon Insight at Grangemouth in Scotland. The UK's first LNG cargo from the US marks a $2 billion investment by Ineos, the world's third largest chemical company. Andy Buchanan / AFP

The tanker passes the new crossing under construction as it travels up the Forth to dock at Grangemouth. Russell Cheyne / Reuters

The tanker JS Ineos Insight, owned by the chemicals multinational Ineos, arrived in Scotland today, marking Britain's first shale gas import from the United States.

The arrival will spark debate on the country’s manufacturing future and Scotland’s opposition to shale gas fracking.

Ineos is importing ethane, obtained from rocks fractured at high pressure – or “fracking” – in a foretaste of larger deliveries of liquefied natural gas from shale set to reach Europe in 2018.

The company chairman Jim Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s richest men, argues that as the North Sea is unable to keep supplying the base ingredients to make chemicals, shale gas will be an important future energy resource.

“There simply is insufficient raw material [oil and gas] coming out of the North Sea to run Grangemouth so we’re talking about 10,000 jobs in total that depend on that facility,” Mr Ratcliffe told BBC Radio Scotland.

“So were it not for the shale gas that we’re bringing in from the US, Grangemouth would have closed three years ago,” he said referring to the petrochemicals hub to the west of Edinburgh.