10,000 litres of oil spilled into the sea in Hvalba

A fishing vessel accidentally discharged around 10,000 litres of oil into the sea in Hvalba on Friday, Faroese public broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya reports.

The spill occurred while the trawler Steintór was refuelling. Authorities suspect the oil overflowed because one of the vessel’s three fuel intake valves was closed during the process, according to Palli Augustinussen, operations manager at the Suðuroy police station.

Police are investigating the incident, and one individual has been charged in connection with the spill, Augustinussen confirmed. The fire department in Tvøroyri was deployed to contain and recover the oil.

Anfinn Leo, incident response leader in Tvøroyri, stated that cleanup efforts were underway. The captain of the Steintór, Mikkjal Hammer, has not commented on the matter.