Around 120,000 litres of diesel was spilled by a tanker vessel off Karmøy, near Haugesund, early Tuesday. The tanker, operated by Uno-X Energi, began to leak during maintenance.
Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported that the resulting spillage could not be stopped before the entire contents of the tank had run out. The diesel, most of which found its way out into the surrounding waters, was threatening a fish farm and bird reserve in Bokn further down the fjord towards the North Sea.
The accident occurred several hours before police were notified at 8:40am. Over the course of the day, the extent of the resulting slick was monitored, and was believed to stretch far down the fjord to the small island of Vestre Bokn.
The coastguard was mobilized early, and began laying protective booms around potentially sensitive areas, including the fish farm that lies off Vestre Bokn.
“Diesel is a light oil that is difficult to gather up,” warned harbour master Sigurd Eikje. “But it also breaks down easier in the sea.”
Coastguard vessels, private boats and surveillance aircraft were involved in clean-up operations.
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