Birds Covered in Oil That Might Be from 1983 Shipwreck

Recently, more and more birds, covered in oil, have been discovered in the vicinity Vestmannaeyjar islands, off the south coast of Iceland, Morgunblaðið reports. On Saturday, a common murre (guillemot) was found in Klettsvík cove, and a common eider was recently found covered in oil on the south side of Heimaey island.

The cause of the pollution remains a mystery.

“There appear to be two unrelated sources,” states Erpur Snær Hansen, head of the South Iceland Nature Research Center. “On the one hand, there is Vestmannaeyjar Harbor, where pollution may stem from some vessels. On the other hand, patches of oil sometimes form in the ocean east of Vestmannaeyjar islands. It happens in summer as well as winter. The patches are created by crude oil, which is used to fuel container ships.”

Einar finds it likely that the common murre found in Klettsvík cove was affected by the pollution in one of those patches.

It has been suggested that the oil patches east of the islands originate in the shipwreck of the German bulk carrier Kampen, which sank in rough seas 22 nautical miles east-southeast of Dyrhólaey promontory November 1, 1983. The vessel was transporting coal from Amsterdam to Grundartangi, West Iceland. Seven crewmembers perished in the accident, while six were rescued.

For more information about the tragic accident, see here.