Description: The presentation gives an overview on the oil spill from the offshore platform Njord A which occurred on the 31. of December 2024. The oil spill affected the coastline, and a response operation is currently ongoing. Approximately 75 cubic of crude oil from an offshore installation were released into the environment due to technical issues on the installation. This is the first time crude oil has reached the coastline, and a major oil spill operation is ongoing to prevent and limit the effects of the spill. The NCA will present a timeline and overview of the efforts by the responsible polluter.
Speaker: Hans Petter Mortensholm, Director Environmental Emergency Response, Norwegian Coastal Administration
Description: The rise in Arctic shipping, driven by diminishing sea ice and geopolitical shifts, increases the risk of oil spills in this fragile region. While the IMO mandates low-sulfur fuel oils (LSFO) to reduce emissions, their behavior in spills is poorly understood. If stranded on shorelines, fuel oil and crude oil cargo may form oil-sediment aggregates (OgPA), which can sink if eroded from shorelines, complicating response efforts. Cold Arctic conditions may further enhance OgPA formation, threatening food security and public health. This presentation will examine OgPA risks in Arctic waters, emphasizing sunken oil formation and the need for improved shoreline response strategies.
Affiliation: Director Environmental Emergency Response, Norwegian Coastal Administration
Bio: Hans Petter Mortensholm is the director of environmental emergency response in Norway and is responsible for the national emergency preparedness against acute pollution to protect life, health, the natural environment, and business interests at sea and ashore.
Hans Petter Mortensholm has a naval background in the Royal Norwegian Navy as a navigator and command officer of several naval units.
He began his employment with Norwegian Coastal Administration in 2008 and has experience from removal of bunker oil from several WWII wrecks inside Norwegian Territorial Waters along with the wreck removal of the Russian Cruiser “Murmansk” along with handling of many pollution incidents inshore and at sea.
He was the incident commander for the plastic pellets spill in the North Sea in and the “MV Eemslift Hendrika” case, both in 2021.
Affiliation: Memorial University, Newfoundland and Labrador
Bio: Lee has over a decade of experience in environmental response across Canada and the U.S. He holds an M.Sc. and is completing a Ph.D. in Engineering, studying oil-sediment interactions. As an Emergencies Scientist for the Government of Canada, he provides scientific support during environmental emergencies, policy development and supports the advancement of oil spill science.