Strong winds that accompanied a storm that visited the area of salmonid producer Osland Havbruk caused the company’s two semi-closed fish cages to break and sink partially, the company said.
The accident, which occurred on Wednesday, ultimately caused 400 liters of diesel from the 30,000 m³ semi-closed cages to leak into the Sognefjord, Norway’s longest fjord.
“We have had strong easterly winds. There have been winds of 10-15 meters/second and 20-30 meters/second in the casts,” Marte Hatlevik, general manager of Osland Havbruk, told SalmonBusiness.
“The cages are rigged for shore power. We have diesel on board to power the emergency generator for a few hours. We’re working with FiiZK to limit the damage. FiiZK is still the owner of the cages. Osland is the client and owner of the site,” she said.
She said the accident is a learning experience that will help the companies to be better prepared.
“We did not expect this damage to occur. Unfortunately, the diesel leak means there are now two accidents. We are working on preparedness and prevention for other injuries,” she added.
She confirmed an earlier report that there were no fish in the two cages and no injuries to staff.
SalmonBusiness has reached out to Torstein Rønning, managing director of FiiZK, but he has yet to comment.
