At its peak, in the 1980s, the terminal was processing more than 1.5m barrels of oil a day.

That figure is now less than 100,000.

The oil company is also looking at new energy ventures at the terminal, such as carbon capture and storage.

A spokesperson said: “EnQuest confirms that it has begun a consultation process at the Sullom Voe Terminal (SVT), with the aim of achieving the required workforce reduction through a voluntary process.

“This process is aligned with the ongoing transformation of SVT, which has been designed to secure a long-term and sustainable future for the terminal, enabling continued operations until at least 2036.”