Rocknes

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Amount and type of oiled spilled: 
450 tonnes of fuel oil
Source of pollution: 
non-tanker
Animals affected
Species affected: 
Predominantly common eiders
Incident background information: 

The bulk carrier Rockness capsized resulting in the tragic death of over 18 crew members.

Wildlife Response: 

An oiled wildlife response of this kind had not been attempted in Norway before and the government policy up to then had been to deploy trained hunters to shoot affected animals. The coalition called ‘Action Clean Bird' set up meetings with the Norwegian Coastal Administration and local authorities and were given permission to mount a response but asked to consult with international expertise.

Lessons learned: 

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) decided to support the operation to maximise the chances of success, provide best achievable care to the animals and ensure that the response could be used as a positive case study for discussions about future wildlife response.