Bulk carrier still aground off Landskrona, Sweden; No oil leak detected

A new incident involving a bulk carrier has occurred, this time in Öresund, a strait which forms the Danish-Swedish border.

The 180-meter-long Panama-flagged vessel Meshka, build in 2011, ran aground west of Landskrona in Öresund, prompting a response from authorities.

The Swedish Coast Guard reported that the bulk carrier, registered in Panama, ran aground on Saturday morning at 10 am. After an initial SAR-operation led by the Swedish Maritime Administration, responsibility was transferred to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard’s mission on Saturday consisted of investigating the cause of the grounding and preventing an oil spill.

The cause of the grounding is unknown, the authorities said.

There are no immediate reports of crew danger or oil leaks in connection with the grounding, and the cause of the incident remains under investigation.

During the day, the Coast Guard has built up a capability on site to quickly handle a possible oil spill.

Before the vessel can be freed from the ground, a salvage plan must be approved by the Coast Guard and the Swedish Transport Agency.

“How long this will take is unknown