Full City oil spill
| Full City oil spill | |
|---|---|
Full City aground on the island of Saastein / Såstein
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| Coordinates | 58°58′15″N 9°42′38″E / 58.970833°N 9.710556°ECoordinates: 58°58′15″N 9°42′38″E / 58.970833°N 9.710556°E |
| Date | 31 July 2009 |
| Cause | The ships anchor slipped, the vessel crew failed to start the main engine during a storm, and the vessel ran aground on Lille Såstein Bird Sanctuary. |
| Operator | COSCO (H.K.) Shipping Co. Ltd. |
| Volume | 700,000 kg |
| Shoreline impacted | 75 km (47 mi) |
The Full City Oil Spill is a major fuel oil spill incident that occurred on July 31, 2009 when the bulk carrier Full City ran aground on the island of Såstein / Saastein south of Langesund, Telemark, Norway. The ship, said to be operated by COSCO (H.K.) Shipping Co. Ltd., spilled around 700,000 kg, or 200 tons, of IFO-380 heavy fuel oil. The oil contaminated 75 km of Norwegian coastline, including Langesund, Vestfold, and the Lille Såstein Bird Sanctuary. There were oil slicks in approximately 200 locations along the shoreline between Larvik Municipality and Lilles. Thousands of sea birds were covered in oil, and although volunteers made efforts to save them, many of the birds had to be shot due to the irreversible damage to their health. The Institute of Marine Research ran tests on the affected areas to track any significant ecological impacts but noted that the marine and fish life suffered no significant changes. The research was included in a study of four oil spills that occurred in the Norwegian coastal area, including the Rocknes Oil Spill, the Server Oil Spill, and the Godafoss Oil Spill.
The Master and Third Officer of the ship were both charged with violating the Pollution Act due to their failure to take adequate measures to prevent pollution. The Master was sentenced to 6 months with 120 days suspended, and the Third Officer was sentenced to 60 days with 39 days suspended. As of April 2010 the ship was in Gothenburg for repairs in drydock.
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