– I think it is so tragic. Here we work throughout the winter to keep the archipelago nice and then suddenly one night something like this comes and destroys it, says Jan Olav Johnsen, head of the Archipelago Service in Lillesand. In the last week alone, almost three tonnes of paraffin wax have been picked up in Lillesand. In addition, between 100 and 200 kilos of the foul-smelling lumps have been picked along islets and reefs in Grimstad. – We have found far less here than in Lillesand, but it is a challenge that the lumps here are found over a very scattered area, says city gardener in Grimstad, Rolf Inge Pettersen. And they still appear along the Sørland coast. – The lumps probably come from tankers that often clean their tanks with kerosene. A problem is that you cannot always know what was in the tank, and thus what has mixed with the kerosene, says Johnsen. Jan Olav Johnsen in the Archipelago Service picks one of the lumps, which are typically the size of a fist, or slightly smaller. Photo: Siv Kristin Sællmann / news Analyzes confirm the suspicion On Friday afternoon, the analysis carried out by Sintef on behalf of the Norwegian Coastal Administration arrived. It shows which substance these lumps contain. As assumed, the substance is paraffin wax in solid form, and quite similar to what was also discovered in large quantities in the Oslo Fjord and in Lindesnes in 2020. In the past, ships loaded with paraffin wax could wash their tanks for wax residues if they were far enough from shore. In January 2021, this was banned. – This is to the great detriment of the environment. I am worried about the birds, which are in the middle of the breeding season, says leader of the Lillesand nature conservation association, Per Bendixen. Per Bendixen from the Nature Conservation Association shows off some of the paraffin wax that has been picked and sorted as hazardous waste over the past week. Photo: Siv Kristin Sællmann / news Many who want to help The municipalities are now asking for more help from the population to pick up the remains that are still lying on the shore. – We have to clean up as soon as possible, and people are good at contributing, says Bendixen. André Didriksen lives in the Lillesand area, and is one of many volunteers who have cleaned the archipelago in recent days. – This shouldn’t happen. but when it first happens, you have to help as best you can, he says. André Didriksen has voluntarily helped to remove the paraffin wax. Photo: Siv Kristin Sællmann / news The city gardener in Grimstad is also grateful if people want to take an extra roof now before the swimming season. – We have limited capacity to clear the archipelago, so we will be happy if people who come across such lumps out on a trip take them with them, says Rolf Inge Pettersen. Use gloves when cleaning the paraffin wax, urges city gardener in Grimstad Rolf Inge Pettersen. Photo: Benedicte Goa Ludvigsen / news
ttn-69
Almost three tonnes of paraffin wax picked up in Lillesand
