The clean-up work on Hörvik beach in Sölvesborg is suspended.
The leaked oil is too viscous and thick – and the hope of succeeding in recovering everything diminishes.
– It feels totally impossible really, says Jens Svensson.
It was on Sunday morning that the grounding took place. The passenger ship Marco Polo was on its way from Trelleborg to Karlshamn and then continued to Klaipeda in Lithuania.
After that, the ship began to leak large amounts of oil, which then reached land along the coastal strip between Lörby Kladd and Hörvik in Sölvesborg municipality.
Over 170 people have signed up as volunteers since then, but so far only the municipality’s staff from various administrations have participated in the work.
It has happened at short notice; several of the cleanup workers received only one hour of training before it was time to put on their work clothes and start collecting the oil from the beach.
– One square meter clean-up. Eight men and about an hour and a half of work. 160 sacks of pure oil on one square meter. It is incredible work and we need as many people as possible for this, he says P4 Blekinge.
“Is an extreme job”
On Tuesday afternoon, the operation was forced to pause. The viscous oil, which is described as “much worse than syrup”, is incredibly difficult to handle.
The machine that has been used so far to brush and soak up the oil has not been sufficient. During Wednesday, they hope to get a new, heavier machine there.
– A greater effort is required. But where and how is currently difficult to say for a layman, says Jens Svensson, who usually works at the park unit in Sölvesborg.
Sensitive ecosystem
The difficulties pile on each other. The weather during the week will be difficult – and unauthorized persons are asked to stay away from the area while the work is in progress.
The risk that the clean-up work will take a long time is something that worries the Nature Conservation Society. Secretary General Karin Lexén believes that the faster it goes, the more birds can be saved.
– The Baltic Sea is a sensitive ecosystem. It is incredibly serious for our seabirds but also for other animals and plants, she tells TV4 Nyheterna.