On the 19th of January 2004 the MV Rocknes hit a shallow in Vatlestraumen near Bergen. The impact of this collision eventually caused the vessel to capsize. Rocknes sank only minutes after the incident. Coastguard, police and medical services arrived on the spot shortly afterwards and a rescue operation began. Hampered by freezing water temperatures, nightfall and a slippery hull, rescue workers managed to save 9 crew members from the water and 3 from the inside of the vessel. 19 crew members died.

MV Rocknes in the Vatlestraumen outside Bergen

Rocknes was carrying totally 470 m³ of IFO-380 heavy bunker fuel (HFO),  70 m³ marine diesel and minor amount of lubricants. Most of the HFO was released during the first days. The high current (up to 6 knots) in Vatlestraumen made the mechanical response operations at sea very difficult, and totally 45 km of shoreline were significantly contaminated.

SINTEF’s Field Monitoring Team  ( News no. 3 2001 ) was on-site  on behalf of the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA)January 22nd in order to do the first environmental monitoring in the area close to the wreck and on contaminated shorelines.

During the next days SINTEF was heavily involved in characterizing (fingerprinting analysis and physical-chemical characterization) of stranded oil and the emulsions  recovered at sea. This in order to obtain a best estimate of mass-balance (oil budget) and adocumentation of the efficiency of the response operations.

Scientist Janne L. M. Resby from SINTF taking samples of stranded emulsified heavy fuel oil

On behalf of NCA, SINTEF  became responsible for designing and performing the aftermath environmental monitoring on the sea surface, in the water column and on shore. The chemical and biological monitoring is following Norwegian regulation and guidelines(SFT Guideline 99:05). Selected sites (cleaned, non-recovered and non-polluted (reference) sites), will be followed regularly the coming seasons. The objective of this activity is to quantify and document the effect of the oil pollution and the efficiency and effects of the shoreline response activities.

 
 

The “SINTEF” Rock:
In connection with the Rocknes incident, also SINTEF has got their “Mearns Rock” (ref: NOOA, http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/photos/gallery.html).
The “SINTEF rock” (close to Kongshamn in Vatlestraumen downstream to the incident position) was heavily oiled and is now used as a reference site in the evaluation of the response and restoration process. In addition, SINTEF has used this rock as a site for documententation of the natural processes according to the CEDRE protocol to quantify removal of oil from solid surface. The two different HFOs from Rocknes are used at tiles in two different exposure regimes.
 

Contact at SINTEF Materials an Chemistry: Per Snorre Daling, and Svein Ramstad