Contaminants and pollution
"Petrozavodsk" has split in two 
(Birger Amundsen/Svalbardposten, 10 March 2010) -- The Russian freezer ship that was wrecked on the southern tip of Bear Island in May last year, has broken in two. "This is the worst situation we could have had. We had the longest hoped that the ship would remain intact until the summer. Now it will be much more difficult to remove it," said senior adviser Knut M. Arnhus of the Norwegian Coastal Administration. On May 11 last year the Russian freezer ship Petrozavodsk ran aground in the far south of Bear Island, in the middle of the breeding area for large populations of seabirds. The Coastal Administration has a standing agreement with the Coast Guard that the Coast Guard vessel visit the wreck site to document the condition of the wreck. Last Tuesday the KV Nordkapp was on site and photographed the wreck. The entire bow section has torn loose. "We were of course aware that such a thing could happen, but now looks like the work to remove the wreck will be considerably more difficult," observed Arnhus. Arnhus fears that the stern could capsize and sink, which would further complicate the work. "We will do surveys of the wreck in the spring when the weather improves. The plan was originally to begin by removing the wires and Petrozavodsk contain large amounts of insulation. Arnhus said that the crew of the KV Nordkapp didn't see much insulation floating around the wreck. What will be done with the wreck will be decided once the Norwegian Coastal Authority has completed its research.
Posted 14 March 2010; 3:18:46 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Contaminants and Pollution, March10, Norway
email to: agra...@yukoncollege.yk.ca
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