Salvage teams will today take flotation equipment onto the Transocean Winner rig, which is marooned off the Isle of Lewis.
But nearly two weeks after the rig ran aground following a storm, salvors are still unsure when it will be ready for its refloat.
Transocean and Smit Salvage said they would not proceed with the operation until they were totally confident of success.
Transocean has started transferring diesel oil fuel to tanks above the waterline, the Maritime and Coastguard agency said in a statement published this afternoon.
A verification flight by the MCA’s counter-pollution team did not indicate any evidence of pollution in the area.
Last night, officials from Transocean apologised for the disruption caused to local residents at a public meeting at nearby Carloway.
Hugh Shaw, the Secretary of State’s representative for maritime salvage and intervention, who also attended the meeting, said he was committed to keeping the local community informed about the operation’s progress.
He said: “As soon as I am in a position to share when this is going to happen, I’ll do so. The community has been supportive of us in our work and we – in return – have done our utmost to make sure they know what we’re doing and how and when.”
It came after Don Mackay, chairman of Carloway Community Association, said people felt they had been ignored in the wake of the rig’s grounding.