A large feed boat belonging to fish farming company Laxar sunk in Reyðarfjörður, East Iceland last weekend. Vísir reports that divers were sent out to the ship yesterday to assess the risk of oil leakage from the vessel, which contains around 10,000 litres of diesel oil in addition to 300 tonnes of feed for farmed salmon. The ship was brought down by extreme weather last weekend and the company plans to eventually retrieve the vessel.
The 25-metre ship, named Munin, sunk close to land, but is now located some 35 metres below the ocean’s surface. The exact cause of the incident has not been determined, but when rescue crews reached the vessel, it was filled with water and had begun to sink.
In addition to assessing the risk of oil leakage from the ship, the divers’ job was to close up all holes where the ship’s diesel oil could possibly leak out. So far, no indications of an oil leak have been observed. Jens Garðar Helgason, CEO of Laxar, says there is little risk of oil leakage occurring but the company is nevertheless doing everything possible to minimise it further. Jens says the company will consult responders and insurance representatives on how to retrieve the ship.
