On 18 February, Equinor was notified by the Norwegian Coastal Administration about the discovery of oil lumps in Frøya. Analyses from SINTEF indicate that these findings are linked to an accidental discharge from the Njord A platform on 31 December, 2024.
The Norwegian Oil Spill Association for Operating Companies (NOFO) has initiated mapping and cleanup operations on behalf of Equinor, in collaboration with local resources, volunteers, and Inter-Municipal Committees for Emergency Preparedness (IUA). Significant resources have been mobilized, and in week 10, nearly 180 people are involved in the efforts, along with 5 vessels and 20 drones. The work is being done manually and will take time.
The oil is in lumps, and no free-floating oil has been observed in the water. The oil lumps form because they contain wax compounds that crystallize at low temperatures.
Preliminary analyses from Equinor's laboratory in Rotvoll show that the lumps will be hard and solid at 10 °C. They will soften at 20 °C but will not become liquid until they reach a temperature of 40 °C. More extensive analyses are being conducted at SINTEF.
Equinor is maintaining close communication with the affected municipalities. The priority is to map and clean beaches before the nesting season begins to minimize the risk of birds coming into contact with oil lumps.
Specialized expertise from the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) and Akvaplan-Niva is providing environmental support for the efforts.
Equinor is taking this incident very seriously and is systematically working to manage the situation and minimize the environmental impact from the unintended discharge.
The oil spill response is expected to continue for some time.