The Government is initiating field studies concerning the wreck of the submarine U-864, which was sunk off Fedje in Hordaland County in 1945. The purpose of the studies is to determine the best way to eliminate any future risk of pollution from the wreck. The Government will fund this effort with NOK 14.7 million.

“Our objective is to find the best solution to permanently eliminate the risk of pollution. It is extremely important for the environment in general and for the good reputation of Norwegian seafood products,” says the Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Svein Ludvigsen.

“Tests have already been done of fish and shellfish, and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority has not found grounds to issue a special dietary advisory on seafood from this area. However, the uncertainty linked to future mercury pollution from the wreck makes it necessary for the Coastal Directorate to commence this work immediately,” Svein Ludvigsen adds.

Background

The German submarine was sunk by a British submarine on 9 February 1945. The German submarine was headed from Germany via Norway to Japan with war materiel. On board were over 70 men, including German and Japanese technical specialists. All those on board perished. According to historical documents, the submarine was carrying around 65 tonnes of metallic (liquid) mercury, which was stored in steel containers.

The wreck of the U-864 was found by the Royal Norwegian Navy in March 2003. It lies at a depth of approx. 150 metres, about 2 km west of Fedje. The wreck is split in two sections, with the fore and aft sections appearing to be relatively intact. The midsection has not been found.

Ever since the discovery, the Coastal Directorate has been engaged in a systematic step-by-step effort to assess and deal with the risk of pollution from the wreck. The first step, carried out in the autumn of 2003 and in the winter of 2004, was to confirm the information that there might be a cargo of mercury on board, and whether any of it had leaked out. Concentrations of mercury were found in some sediment samples near the wreck.

In the autumn of 2003 the National Institute for Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES) began a study of mercury in fish and shellfish. The mercury content of important species such as cod, saithe and ling was equal to that found to be the normal level of mercury in these species. The mercury content of redfish from Fedje was 0.22 mg/kg, whereas the EU limit for mercury in seafood is 0.5 milligrams of mercury per kilogram wet weight.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority was briefed on this effort and in late winter 2004 found no reason to issue a dietary advisory on fish or shellfish from the area near Fedje.

The Coastal Directorate also engaged the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) to assess the environmental risk which the mercury represents. NIVA recommends that the mercury containers be removed to the extent possible and that isolating the wreck be considered.

In its recommendation to the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs in June 2005, the Coastal Directorate favours taking action to eliminate the danger of mercury pollution, with the work done in two phases. In a preliminary project a thorough survey of the wreck and the surrounding area will be conducted and on this background the actions that can be taken without posing an unacceptable risk of further pollution will be assessed. The preliminary project should then be followed up with a main project to eliminate the risk of pollution, insofar as this can be done.

Today the Coastal Directorate considers remove of the cargo, wreck and polluted sediments as the most appropriate action. If it is impossible to raise the cargo and wreck in an environmentally sound manner, encasing/covering the wreck will need to be considered. Raising the wreck with the cargo on board is currently regarded as posing too high a risk of further pollution.