Tanker sinks off Greenland coast, massive fuel spill contained
On Thursday morning near the city of Nanortalik in southern Greenland, a 100-foot ship sank, according to the newspaper "Sermitsiaq". The vessel's tanks contained about 4,000-5,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 250 gallons of engine oil. To prevent the spread of the spill, barriers were put in place by the authorities.
Local media reported that Greenlandic police received a report of the ship's collision with a reef at 3:00 AM ET. Authorities evacuated the crew members—four people—before the tanker sank a few minutes after 7:00 AM ET.
The fire department is currently on-site, addressing the oil spill. According to a statement from the police, a floating barrier, approximately 160 feet in diameter, has been deployed around the sunken vessel to contain pollution. This barrier also reaches about 1.6 feet below the water's surface.
According to the police, the tanker was heading to Qaqortoq when it collided with a reef at 1:45 AM ET, causing the vessel to start taking on water.
Unidentified seismic object in Greenland: Scientists solve the mystery
Recently, the media have also reported on an unidentified seismic object in Greenland.
Scientists decided to investigate the origin of the seismic signal from Greenland, detected by sensors worldwide in September of last year. The investigation results were published in the journal "Science". An international team of scientists and even the Danish navy were involved in the probe.
"When colleagues first noticed this signal last year, they didn't think it was an earthquake. We called it an unidentified seismic object," recalls Dr. Stephen Hicks from University College London, one of the scientists involved in the project, quoted by the BBC.
Scientists who examined the phenomenon determined that 25 million cubic metres (873 million cubic feet) of rock fell into the water, equivalent to 25 Empire State Buildings. This triggered a "mega-tsunami" that reached a height of 656 feet.
Satellite images showed a dust cloud in the fjord. Scientists' studies revealed that the mountain collapsed and swept a part of the glacier into the water.
It turned out that global climate warming is to blame, which is melting glaciers, including in Greenland.
Dr. Hicks explained that the glacier once provided crucial support to the mountain, but as it thinned, it could no longer fulfill that role. This highlights the immediate impact of climate change on these regions.
