On May 11th last year the Russian vessel “Petrozavodsk” ran aground on Bear Island, right in the middle of the breeding area of large sea bird colonies. The Norwegian Coastal Administration had plans to remove the ship in summer this year, but now this operation has become far more complicated.
– This is the worst scenario for our operation. We had hoped that the ship could remain intact until summer, says senior adviser Knut M Arnhus in the Norwegian Costal Administration to Svalbardposten.
When the bow has been separated from the rest of the ship, Arnhus fears that the astern part will tip over and worsen the removal further.
– We will do surveys on the ship in spring. Our initial plan was to remove all cables and insulation, but this is probably already gone now, says Arnhus to Svalbardposten.
A vessel like Petrozavodsk, built for transport of frozen fish, contains a lot of insulation. However, there is yet not observed any debris of insulation floating in the ocean around the wreck.
