– What we know is that there was a valve that was open, and it should have been closed, says Denofa factory director Torgeir Hjertaker. On the night of Tuesday, the fire service and the police were notified of a major spill of soybean oil from the factory Denofa on Øra in Fredrikstad. The factory director was able to state just after 11.00 that it is a matter of 20,000 liters of soya oil that has ended up in Glomma. The police first assumed that it was 35,000 liters of soybean oil, and a short time later the police assumed that it was 26,000 liters of soybean oil. Soya oil operates in Glomma overnight to Tuesday. Photo: Rahand Bazaz / news The spill is now drifting south in Glomma at a speed of 1–2 knots, the police say. – As of now, the fire service is on the scene. The coast guard is also on the scene with a ship and is assisting, says operations manager in the East police district Finn Håvard Aas. The leak lasted for three hours. The soya oil is said to have leaked out from a manual valve that was left open. There was no form of monitoring of this, says factory director Torgeir Hjertaker. The leak continued for three hours before it was discovered. Hjertaker says it is too early to say anything about the cause of the spill. – The employees did a fantastic job and managed to locate and stop the leak only ten minutes after it was discovered. Several thousand liters of soybean oil have gone astray from the Denofa factory in Fredrikstad. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news The police are working to get a better overview of where the oil may have spread. Fredrikstad municipality writes on its website that several people are involved in the work to limit the discharge. – This is a serious incident, but we hope a quick response has helped to limit the extent of the damage. We are following the situation closely, says the mayor of Fredrikstad, Arne Sekkelsten. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news During the night, guide and blocking bilges were laid and work is now being done to suck up oil from the bilges. – So far it is not very dangerous for the environment, but it is dangerous for animals, especially birds when they get this on them, says task leader Jørn Krogfoss in Fredrikstad fire and rescue. The fire service is working to limit the damage, says Jørn Krogfoss. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news Biologist: – A disaster The oil spill in Glomma threatens the bird sanctuary in the area. Biologist Jan Ingar Båtvik has worked in the area for a number of years. He calls the discharge last night a disaster. – It is of course a disaster that oil seeps into such a special nature reserve as Øra. It is late in the year, so most of the migration south is over, but if there is a lot of oil spillage out in Øra, then it is a big job and it has to be cleaned up, says Båtvik, who is also a volunteer in the non-profit organization Fuglehjelpen . Biologist and volunteer at Fuglehjelpen, Jan Ingar Båtvik, has worked to save sick and injured birds for many years. Photo: Jan Ingar Båtvik The biologist believes that there are great values at stake and points out that waterfowl are at risk. Among other things, mergansers, ducks and cormorants. news has been in contact with the State Administrator in Oslo and Viken. They state that they are monitoring the situation and taking measures if necessary. The Norwegian Environment Agency is also monitoring the situation closely and states that they can make a report if the conditions warrant it, but that other forms of reaction may also be relevant. – We are interested in the underlying reasons. How much has been leaked, what kind of environmental consequences it has had and what can be done to prevent this from happening again, says Harald Sørby, section leader in the Norwegian Environment Agency. How harmful is soybean oil to wildlife? The oil is not toxic, but the spill can cause damage to the Øra bird reserve. If oil sticks to the birds’ plumage, it will make them very vulnerable to frostbite. The Archipelago Service, the Coast Guard and the Norwegian Nature Conservancy are among the actors who are out observing the situation now. If the public observes a bird with an oil spill in its plumage, they are asked to contact the service square on tel.: 69 30 60 00. Source: Fredrikstad municipality. Important area for birds The spill is being investigated by the police, and interviews and any technical investigations will be carried out. The Øra nature reserve, at the outlet of the Glomma in Fredrikstad, has international status as a very important bird area, the municipality writes on its website. It has been a reserve for 44 years. Over 250 species have been registered in the area, including swans, geese, waders, ducks, gulls, terns and cormorants, according to the Fredrikstad Activities Council’s website. Since 1985, the area has had the status of a Ramsar site, because it is valuable for migratory birds. Øra nature reserve is located in Fredrikstad, east of Glomma’s outlet. Photo: Lars Håkon Pedersen / news – Øra is located in a migration link, and it is a shallow water area with large food resources for waterfowl on their way south. And then there is the sea and ocean, pretty much to the south of this, and it is a resting place for many waders and other things that come from the north, says biologist Jan Ingar Båtvik.
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Major spill of soybean oil in Fredrikstad – threatens bird sanctuary – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
