Emergency personnel in Greenland are addressing a significant oil spill caused by the sinking of the expedition vessel Adolf Jensen near Nanortalik.
The ship, which ran aground on September 18, carried approximately 15,000 to 20,000 liters of diesel and 1,000 liters of gasoline. Following the incident, efforts to contain the spill faced challenges due to environmental conditions like tides and wind.
Authorities have requested assistance from the Danish Navy’s Arctic Command, while local fire services have deployed barriers and pumps to mitigate pollution.
Although all crew and passengers were evacuated safely, the ongoing cleanup is complicated by the slow degradation of petroleum in the Arctic environment, raising concerns about environmental contamination.
The vessel is a former research ship built redesigned for small passenger expeditions.
