A cruise ship registered in the Bahamas, the “Spirit of Adventure”, has committed the greatest blunder any tourist company could possibly imagine by spilling a huge amount of oil into Norway’s pristine Geiranger Fjord. Fire fighters and clean-up crews are working round the clock to contain the major oil spill in the scenic and popular tourist site.
The Norway Post reports that several boats have encircled the growing spill area to try and contain it by positioning special oil booms in the perimeter. If this method is successful, the oil can be prevented from reaching the shores along the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Norwegian police have boarded the cruise ship in an effort to determine the cause of the oil spill. Initial reports suggest an equipment malfunction in the engine room was the culprit, but the final verdict is still out.
Police allowed the ‘Spirit of Adventure” to continue on its way to Bergen, where it docked. Each year some 150 cruise ships carry tourists to marvel at the natural majesty of Geiranger Fjord, which is regarded as one of Norway’s most important and popular tourist attractions.
NorwayPost has more on this article. Photo is also from The Norway Post.
[…] has “Norway’s scenic Geiranger Fjord suffers major oil spill“. This ship is the SPIRIT OF […]
Let us hope this is no Exxon Valdez.
Perhaps if ship owner/operators were held criminally liable for negligence they would take oil spills more seriously ?