The two worst years1978 and 1979saw a total of almost 1000 vessels going down. After 1980 the number of wrecked vessels began to fall dramaticallyand 1990 was the first year with an annual total below 200. In 2000the number had dropped even further and was down to 167 – hence two in every one thousand vessels sank. The most recent figure from IMO is for 2006 when 120 vessels went down. If we add up all vessels of a certain size lost during the period 2001 to 2006we will reach an accumulated total of 825. Environmental threat The seabed is littered with tens of thousands of vesselsmany of which have tanks containing large quantities of oil. Unless this oil is offloadedit poses an impending threat to the environment. At some pointthe oil will start to leak from the vessel. It is only a matter of time before this occurs. Recovery of the oil in a safe and secure manner is thus of utmost importance. In the pastoil from wrecked vessels has been recovered by using divers for the actual offloading process. Howeverthis is not only hazardous and time-consumingit is also costly. Divers must adhere to strict regulations on the length of time they can spend under waterand are at the same time highly exposed to chemicals and other hazards. If divers are offloading a wartime naval vesselthey are also exposed to hazards such as possible explosions from undetonated ammunition. Submersible pumps Frank MohnAS is one of the leading suppliers of submersible pumps to the tanker and offshore marked. Since the early 1980sthe company has offloaded over 15millioncubicmetres of oil from vessels worldwidewhich is the equivalent to 60 fully loaded supertankersandsince the mid-90sbeen developing a Remote Off-Loading System (ROLS) designed to recover oil from vessels. In simple termsthis is a remote-controlled tool which is navigated down to the sunken vessel where it drills through its side and penetrates to the actual tanks. This applies to both single-hulled and double-hulled vessels. When the drilling is completethe oil is efficiently and without any hazard pumped to a vessel on the surface. Frank MohnAS is the only company in the world to offer this systemand is a marked leader in this sector. First and foremostthe aim is to offload the vessels in a quick and efficient mannerbut it is equally important that none of the company’s co-workers are put at risk. Remote control The subsea operation itself does not require people close by – everything is remotely controlled. In other wordsthis is a safe and efficient way to carry out a high-risk assignment. Since the early 1980sFrank MohnAS has carried out such operations on a number of wrecked vessels. A substantial amount of this recovery work took place during the Gulf War. Numerous vessels were hit by enemy fire and went down with large quantities of oil onboard. For these operationsFrank MohnAS was recruited in ordser to handle the oil recovery process. The company operates worldwide. Wherever the accident occurs and however inaccessible the vessel isFrank MohnAS can be on site within a relatively short period of time. The company is on stand-by 24hours a day. Unless the location is extremely remoteit canin most casesbe on site within 24 hours. Qualified personnel The Frank MohnAS Remote Off-Loading System (ROLS) is provided with qualified personnel. Over the yearsthe company has acquired unique expertise in this areawhich it says very few – if anyone – can match. Every yearthe company carries out between 30 and 40 such operations globally. Vessels of various sizes and tank volumes have been offloaded in different weather conditions and climates as well as at a variety of depths. This is a high-capacity systemwhich is extremely versatile both in terms of depth and other external conditions. According to Truls Gulowsenhead of Greenpeace Norwaywrecked vessels constitute a major environmental hazard. It is only a matter of time before a sunken vessel starts leaking oil and other chemicalssays Gulowsen. In his opinionthe scale of the threat primarily depends on the quantity of oil/chemicals the vessel containsbut its location is also important. If a vessel sinks in a vulnerable areathe threat is more serious than if this occurs in less fragile surroundings. The coastline is often the most vulnerablebut the open sea also has its areas which attract a wide variety of organisms and are thus highly exposed in the event of pollutionGulowsen continues. Wildlife Along the Norwegian coast there areaccording to the Norwegian Coastal Administration18 wrecks containing between 10 and 300tonnes of oil per vessel. This whole stretch of coast is home to an abundant wildlife. In Greenpeace’s opinionNorwegian authorities do not take the wrecked vessel issue seriously enough. And the menace of oil is not the only problem. Other dangerous substances may pose an equally high risk. Some of the warships contain several problematic componentssuch as the mercury wreck at Fedje. It is only a matter of time before a leak occurs. Norwegian authorities should take a more serious approach to this problem.
Erik Gloppen is General Manager at Frank Mohn AS Environmental Products & ServicesFusaNorway. www.framo.com
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