– We were on our way north, then things went a little wrong. That’s what skipper Kurt Justad says on the barge “Marita Helen”. It was the night of Monday that things went wrong, and the lifeboat “Odd Fellow III” had to set course for Bolga in Meløy. “Marita Helen” had run aground and needed assistance. The sight that met the crew was far from everyday. – The action was undramatic, but they have been very lucky, says skipper Jostein Johansen to news. Because the shard was standing and balancing on the 20 centimeter wide keel, on top of the reef. – It shouldn’t be possible to be so lucky when the accident is out. I have been involved in several ground collisions, but have never experienced anything like this, says Johansen. Kurt Justad is skipper of the barge “Marita Helen”. Photo: Per Willy Larsen / news Row of boats aground When the tide came, the shark floated off the reef and the lifeboat pulled it out into deeper water before it made it to shore under its own power. It has gone well with both the sjarke and the crew. – It is absolutely incredible that it went well. It should not be possible to stand on the keel and have nothing else support the boat, says Kurt Justad. There was a long wait for the crew in the barge. When the lifeboat had arrived there was nothing else to do but wait for the raft to arrive. – We stood there for 6-7 hours before we got off. We didn’t have much to do, and just had to wait, says Justad. On Tuesday, a diver from the Rescue Society took a closer look at the shark. There is no indication of damage. The sjarken remained standing and balancing on the 20 centimeter wide keel. Photo: The rescue company Several groundings In recent years, there have been a number of boats that have run aground. In 2022, the rescue skates assisted in 322 ground collisions. And this summer alone, the Rescue Company reports 191 groundings nationwide. At the same time, several groundings are reported to the Coastal Agency’s environmental emergency watch. Last year, 90 groundings were reported to the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s environmental emergency watch, compared to 71 in 2021 and 65 in 2020, according to the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s incident report Does not necessarily lead to emissions Most groundings still occur with smaller passenger vessels and cargo vessels. But more groundings do not automatically mean more emissions, according to the Norwegian Coastal Administration. – The Norwegian Coastal Administration has increased its efforts in preventive measures, including through better monitoring of sea traffic and state towing preparedness. This helps to prevent accidents. In the past three years, the volume of acute emissions from ship traffic has been low, says Hans-Petter Mortensholm, director of the environmental preparedness business area in the Coastal Administration to NTB. Last year, the Coastal Administration received 970 notifications of acute or risk of acute pollution, 592 of which led to acute pollution. The number of notifications about acute pollution has been relatively the same for several years. Of the 592 incidents that led to acute pollution in 2022, 356 are respectively categorized as land incidents and 233 as marine incidents. The sjarken sailed on under its own engine after the incident. Photo: The rescue company The case has been updated on 31 October at 10.23 with a comment from the skipper of the barge.
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The rescue company had to assist a shark that ran aground at Bolga in Meløy – news Nordland
