This afternoon, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap) received the report from the expert committee tasked with assessing what should be done with the submarine wreck U-864. Committee leader Gro Kielland presented the main findings and handed over the report to the minister. The committee wrote that they “recommend lifting cargo (mostly of the mercury) before covering the wreck and seabed.” – We consider it too risky to raise the submarine, says Kielland. In line with previous findings, the committee recommends that the wreck be covered over rather than raised. But this latest selection suggests a compromise. Earlier, other reports concluded that both the wreck and all the mercury had been covered up. The Kielland committee, on the other hand, believes that one should try to get the mercury up from the sea, but then cover the submarine wreck. – The fact that we conclude differently from what has been done in the past is based on updated socio-economic assessments and risk assessments, that we believe this should be technically and environmentally feasible, and an increasingly strong global focus on cleaning up pollution. In addition, we have emphasized the sense of security experienced by people and businesses, says selection manager Gro Kielland. Photo: Kystverket Pollution bomb It was in February 2003 that the Norwegian Navy found the wreck of the German submarine U-864 a couple of nautical miles outside Fedje. It had been torpedoed by a British submarine in February 1945, and all 73 on board perished. The wreck broke in two and lies at a depth of 150 metres. On board, the submarine had 1,875 steel containers with a total of 67 tonnes of the highly environmentally hazardous substance mercury. After the discovery, containers equivalent to around 65 tonnes of mercury were found, and measurements indicate leakage of around 4 kilograms of mercury annually from the wreck or the surrounding area. The fear is that the mercury containers in the submarine will leak, with potentially catastrophic consequences for the marine environment and the fishing industry. The enormous amounts of mercury will constitute an extreme environmental bomb if they get out into the bodies of water and spread with the ocean currents along most of the Norwegian coast. Political uproar over mercury risk The local population, the environmental movement and most local parties have fought to have the submarine wreck raised and the mercury removed. Whether the wreck should be covered up or raised has been a political headache for 19 years. The Coastal Agency has been seen to resolve the issue many times. Each time it has been advised to leave the wreckage and cover it up. The wreck is 88 meters long and weighs 1,616 tonnes. The Coastal Agency has said that there is a great risk of the rise going wrong, with acute mercury pollution and enormous ocean pollution. The two parts of the wreck of the mercury submarine lie on an unstable sandy bottom, but were stabilized in 2016, while a final decision on resolution was awaited. Photo: Kystverket Uvisse Committee leader Kielland points out that the committee has had great respect and humility for the importance of the work and getting a final solution for U-864 – both for the local population and other stakeholders. The committee wrote in the report that there is considerable uncertainty about how much mercury is involved, where it is, and the condition of both the mercury containers and the wreck. – Therefore, it is unknown whether it was actually easy to collect most of the mercury, said Kielland at the press conference. The committee believes that the lifting of the environmental poison must be done step by step, so that at each decision point one will have to assess whether the lifting measures must nevertheless be ended and a cover-up carried out. The Minister of Fisheries: – The beginning at the end The report will be sent after three months of consultation. – With this report, we hopefully mark the beginning of the end for this difficult and highly debated case about the submarine at Fedje. This is what Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran said when he received the report. – It is important for the government to choose a solution that is safe for the environment and the population. I take seriously the unrest people in Fedje and along the Westland coast have lived with for many years because of this case. Stoltenberg changed his mind In 2007, the Stoltenberg government decided on covering, but changed its mind two years later and decided to raise the wreck in the summer of 2009. The Coastal Agency had in the meantime concluded that raising was possible, but again recommended covering. Stoltenberg confirmed the lifting decision in 2010, but ordered even more reports. And when he stepped down as Prime Minister in 2013, the submarine was still on the seabed. In total, his government changed its mind twice, and commissioned a new report just before the government left office. Solberg changed his mind Both Høgre and the Progressive Party guaranteed in 2013 that they would raise the submarine. But the incoming Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) said neither yes nor no to repeal in the same autumn and the ruling party remained silent on the matter. KrF head at the time Knut Arild Hareide, who is now the state’s director of shipping, also wanted a lifting, but thought it was right to “not lock ourselves in now”. In 2014, the Norwegian Coastal Administration repeated the advice on covering up, and in 2018 the Solberg government had turned around and stepped in to leave the wreck. She set aside funds for a cover-up before the summer of 2020. But in October 2020, the Solberg government set up a new committee that was supposed to resolve the issue once again. Their report was actually supposed to be ready in November, but the selection was postponed until 1 July this year. That deadline also passed, but today the selection has finally concluded. The work with U-864, the Fedje submarine 2003: The Norwegian Navy’s KNM Tyr finds the wreck of U-864. Mercury detected at the wreck 2004: Annual samples of fish and crab in the area around the wreck begin to be taken. 2005: The Coastal Administration examines the wreck and continues with it until the autumn of 2006. 2006: The Coastal Administration recommends covering the wreck and the surrounding area, based on assessments made in the last three years. 2007: The Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs decides that the wreck must be covered up, but orders new reports after consultation in the Storting. 2008: Report from DNV. The Norwegian Coastal Agency recommends covering, but believes raising is possible. 2009: The Stoltenberg government decides that the wreck should be raised instead of covered up, and the contaminated seabed should be covered up. 2010: The Stoltenberg government wants the raising of the submarine wreck to be sorted out more thoroughly, and also proposes to sort out covering and an alternative that combines raising and covering. 2011: The Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs accepts the Coastal Administration’s analysis of various alternatives for environmental measures around the submarine wreck. 2013: The Norwegian Coastal Administration empties the wreckage of diesel oil. 2014: The government proposes to allocate NOK 150 million for backfill to ensure an unstable slope under the bow of the wreck. According to the Norwegian Coastal Administration, this is the measure that must be taken first, regardless of whether to raise or cover the submarine wreck. 2018: The government proposes in the state budget for 2019 to set aside funds for work on covering up the submarine wreck. The Transport and Communications Committee requests an assessment of whether there is new information or technology that indicates that lifting all or part of the load is environmentally sound, before the covering work begins. As of June 2018, the state had spent NOK 140 million on settlements and NOK 120 million on the stabilization operation. 2019: Rambøll makes the assessment for the Coastal Agency and concludes that covering is well justified, and that there is no new information about actual methods for raising. The Norwegian Coastal Administration concludes that covering the wreck and the cargo is the best solution. 2020: The government set up an expert committee which will assess whether there is new information about which solution is best for the submarine wreck. The committee was given a deadline of 1 November 2021. 2021: The expert committee gets a deadline extended to 1 July 2022. 2022: The expert committee delivers its report on 20 September. Source: www.regjeringen.no
ttn-69
New report on the submarine wreck at Fedje deserves a cover-up – news Vestland
