Hi all
Since no press release in English yet exists, I'll try to do a translation.
This is an amateur's translation, so I take no responsibility for errors. I suppose there will be an official English version in near future.


Here we go:


U-864 is going to be raised
"The government has today decided that the wreck of U-864 is going to be raised, and that the polluted seabed is going to be covered with clean filler. During 2007 and 2008, the Norwegian Coastal Administration with assistance from DNV has done a closer assessment of raising the wreck that is holding the cargo of mercury, and considered this option against the option of covering both the wreck and the polluted seabed.
This work has made visible the different elements of risk in connection with the alternatives.
“This is a total appraisement, where risk and the worries and concerns of the coastal population and the fishing industry connected to the covering-alternative have been important elements that has led to this conclusion”, Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs", Helga Pedersen states.


On the 10th of November last year The minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs received the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s professional recommendation of covering both the wreck and the polluted seabed. At the same time DNV presented their technical evaluations and risk analyses of different factors that can affect the implementation of alternative measures against the pollution from the wreck.

It has been judged that a raising of the wreck probably will remove a large part of the source of pollution. In the case of a successful operation, the concept of raising the wreck that has been prepared, will take care of the environmental challenges in an acceptable way.
In addition the seabed will be covered by clean filler, because it’s impossible to remove such a large amount of polluted sediment without further spreading of mercury to new areas.


“The Norwegian Coastal Administration and DNV’s thorough work has contributed to make visible the different elements of risk connected to the two alternatives of handling the pollution from the wreck and the polluted seabed. It has been very important for me to supplement the professional reports with talks with the local population and politicians in the area. Seen in connection with the great concerns of the coastal population and the fisheries, of the effects of a permanent storage of the environmental hazardous cargo on the seabed, we consider that a raising of the wreck involves an acceptable risk,” the Minister of Fisheries and Coastal affairs says.


The Norwegian Coastal Administration concludes that raising of the wreck-parts will be technically possible, but a very complex operation. As a part of the work with a closer assessment of the raising alternative during 2007 and 2008, The Norwegian Coastal Administration has carried out a competitive tendering in the EEA area and negotiated a contract with a world leading firm of salvage operations, which has long experience and earlier has carried out demanding salvage operations.
A reservation regarding the consent of the Norwegian parliament has been made. For a best possible basis to present the case to the Parliament, an independent, external quality assurance of the raising proposition is to be carried out.


The method that now has been chosen, involves a series of risk-reducing measures compared to earlier raising propositions. “The wreck will be raised with the help of a large container that can catch spilt mercury and will be transported ashore on a special vessel. These are important measures, that together increases the possibility of a successful operation”, the Minister of Fisheries and Coastal affairs says.


**************************************************

A couple of links:
DNV: [www.dnv.com]
An article in a Norwegian newspaper with an animation of the proposed operation:
[www.bt.no]

And last a link to the salvage company, Mamoet with a contract for the operation:
[www.mammoet.com]



I'm happy today!

Cheers
Vidar