Shortly after 1 am on Thursday, a ship ran aground under the Svinesund Bridge on the Swedish side of the border with Norway in dense fog. There are no signs yet that oil has leaked into the water, and no one has been injured.
The Swedish Coast Guard is on site with its vessel KBV 310 and has personnel on board the vessel. The grounded vessel is loaded with timber, 90 metres long, with destination Halden. On board are approximately 88,000 litres of oil, of which 85,000 litres of diesel in the vessel’s fuel tanks.
The Swedish Coast Guard has not revealed the vessel’s name, but looking at MarineTraffic‘s live map, it seems to involve the Hagland Captain (status aground), which sails under the flag of Norway and was built in 2012.
The Coast Guard has requested assistance from the Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS) to transport environmental protection equipment to the site. The Swedish Transport Agency and the rescue services of Strömstad municipality have been informed and are monitoring the situation, as are Norwegian authorities.
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Preliminary investigation into negligence
A tugboat is on site. Dense fog in the area is causing poor visibility.
The Swedish Coast Guard has launched a preliminary investigation into suspected negligence in maritime traffic. Coast Guard personnel on board are conducting investigative measures, including interviews with the crew. It is still too early to determine the cause of the grounding, but there is no suspicion of alcohol-related misconduct.
Picture: Shortly after 1 am on Thursday night, a ship ran aground under the Svinesund Bridge on the Swedish side of the border with Norway (photo by the Swedish Coast Guard).
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