Oil Pollution Response Exercise

Every year the nordic countries jointly practices together under the Copenhagen agreement to better cooperate in environmental rescue operations at sea. In September they conducted two exercises in Swedish waters. The first exercise is held on Wednesday (2016-09-21) north of Lysekil.

The exercise involves ships, boats and aircraft from the Coast Guard, along with two ships from Norway and Denmark as well as the bunker tanker mt NORDEN (representative from the European Maritime Safety Agency, EMSA).

- Civilians in the area will notice activities already on Tuesday as to increased traffic in the port area when the participating ships arrive before the exercise, says Fredrik Tyrén, head of the Coast Guard's emergency section.

Scenario for the exercise case a collision between two tanker resulting in an oil spill. An event that certainly raises some memories among both exercise participants and the locals who were five years ago. Then hit the southern Bohuslän of perhaps the largest oil surcharge in Swedish modern times. In just over 18 days since Operation Kyrkesund lasted Coast Guard took up a total of 644 000 liters of oil emulsion from the sea.

- The fact that we practice here and now have nothing to do with the anniversary but it is clear that what happened five years ago, giving the exercise context and deeper seriously. The whole exercise is of course out to quickly and effectively contain and combat the oil spill, says Fredrik Tyrén.