Birger Haftor Nilsen and his girlfriend Ellen Gjertsen run their own beach cleaning company. – We cleared around 15 tonnes last year, while this year we may have cleared 25-30 tonnes. Among the many tonnes of rubbish, they also find large lumps of epoxy and plastic balls. This is placed inside large buoys, which are used on offshore installations so that they can withstand a lot of weather. The buoys are used, among other things, to hold up chains, according to Nilsen. Here are balls and epoxy from a deep-water buoy that has been smashed against the coast in Bolgværet in Meløy municipality. Photo: Haftor sailors and beach cleaners But occasionally these can get loose and go astray. Then it happens that they float ashore entirely, or are crushed so that the epoxy and plastic balls float freely. – It is a bit surprising that this has been allowed to go on for years. The oil companies should know their visiting hours and take responsibility. He says that they find the plastic balls from the buoys every day. – We have cleared one lot in Bolgværet in Meløy of 700 kilos, says Nilsen. In addition, they have come across several whole buoys on detours. – One of 2.2 tonnes and now one buoy of five tonnes in the Karlsøyvær nature reserve, he continues. The beach cleaners’ perhaps biggest catch in Nordland is a large buoy weighing several hundred kilos washed ashore. They found it in Karlsøyvær in Bodø municipality this summer. Photo: Haftor sailors and beach cleaners Nilsen thinks it is strange that the oil industry has been allowed to pollute in this way over several years. He thinks it is perfectly fine that the epoxy and plastic balls must be used, but calls for a tracking device on the buoys so that they can be controlled if they come loose. – Firstly, there is a danger to traffic when the buoys come loose from the oil installations. A five-tonne deep-water buoy can cause major damage to a smaller boat or similar, says Nilsen and continues: – Secondly, there is also a major environmental consequence when it ends up in the surf and breaks. I’m afraid birds and fish will want to taste the epoxy. Ellen Gjertsen and Birger Haftor Nilsen have picked up litter along the beaches outside Bodø. Photo: Matilde Mørk / news Tracking exists – but is not in demand Jan Møllerhaug is managing director at Partner Plast, which produces buoys with epoxy and plastic balls. He says that it is possible to install tracking devices on the buoys. – Why don’t you have it? – Some buoys have it. Why it is not standard probably has to do with cost, Møllerhaug points out. The company Plastpartner offers tracking that can be fixed on buoys and other offshore installations. But very few demand such, says Møllerhaug. Photo: Partnerplast He says that the technical possibility of installing a tracking device on the buoys exists, but that there is very little demand for it. It will probably cost a few tens of thousands, in addition to a satellite subscription. – Do you think the tracking device could help solve the problem? – Yes absolutely. Then they had found the buoy again. I encourage the oil industry to do what they can to avoid buoys going astray, says Møllerhaug. Believes the cause is something other than the construction of the buoys Møllerhaug believes it goes without saying that the epoxy and plastic balls have negative environmental consequences if washed ashore. – We want to help avoid that. – We expect that if a customer in the offshore industry loses a buoy, they do a cause analysis. I’m pretty sure they would have contacted us if they thought it was due to the buoy’s construction, he says. Jan Møllerhaug, managing director of Partner Plast. Photo: Privat And the construction on the buoy, he says that in that case they could do something about it – but since it has not been reported, the oil platform losing the buoy must be due to other reasons, Møllerhaug believes. – As producers, we take responsibility. We recycle plastic, offer service and periodic maintenance, and if someone finds a buoy, the first thing we do is find out who bought it. The buoy belongs to Equinor news has asked Equinor how they ensure that the buoys do not go astray. Spokesperson Rikke Høistad Sjøberg says that the company has very few such. She has counted herself to three. But she says that the rig companies use these for anchor handling when they move rigs, also when they work for Equinor. – Equinor has a few of these, we use these to moor vessels in the fjords so they don’t have to drop anchor. For example, in two of the fjords near Hammerfest. These are located in fixed locations and are in use. These are large buoys and it entails risk and having them drifting loose. Should it happen that they struggle, we will notify the Coastal Agency and naturally follow up, says Sjøberg. She says that the buoy that ran ashore in Karlsøyvær, without being crushed, was reported missing in November last year in connection with a rig operation in the North Sea, when the rig was carrying out work for Equinor. – Equinor has been in contact with the owner of the buoy, and the owner confirms that the buoy will be picked up, they know where it is, she says. – We can add that there is one buoy that is missing. We have not received reports of other buoys going astray so far this year. – Litter is basically responsible for cleaning up the State Administrator in Nordland, Tom Cato Karlsen, says littering in protected areas is particularly serious as they are areas of particular natural value and uniqueness. – We know that beach cleaning has been carried out in the Karlsøyvær conservation area and that there is a large amount of maritime rubbish coming ashore, says Karlsen. He says that Salten Brann IKS has been notified and that Bodø municipality has started the process of removing the buoy in Karlsøyvær. Tom Cato Karlsen is a state administrator in Nordland. Photo: Sofie Retterstøl Olaisen / news – Are there any measures the municipality can take to avoid this? – As a pollution control authority, we must assess whether there are grounds for ordering the person responsible to clean up and remove the waste, says Karlsen. – Do you think the oil industry must be held responsible? – Litter is basically responsible for cleaning up; that is, the business that has taken into use and deployed the buoy, concludes the state administrator.
ttn-69
Beach cleaners have picked up tens of tons of epoxy and plastic balls along the coast – news Nordland
