Ice hampers oil spill clean-up
Oil caught in ice and booms full of lumps of ice hampers clean-up works after ship grounding in Southern Norway.
An Icelandic-owned 17,000-dwt cargo vessel ran aground and immediately started leaking oil Friday around the scenic islands of Hvaler on Norway’s southeast coast. It was unknown exactly how much oil was on board the ship, but estimates were as much as 800 tons.
Norwegian and Swedish coastal administration services placed a series of booms around the area to contain the spill, but oil has already reached land on several places, Teknisk Ukeblad writes.
Ice, fog and temperatures down to -20°C make the clean-up work difficult. Much of the oil spill is caught in very thin layers in ice, making it almost impossible to gather. Ice is also drifting into the oil spill booms, filling them up.
In addition, the low temperatures constitute an extra challenge for the personnel’s health and security.
Read also: Oil spill preparedness particular important in Arctic oil plans
