Since April, two test cargoes of woodchips have been shipped from the Norsk Gjenvinning terminal at Haraldrud. The consignments went to the Baltic for recycling and production into new chipboard and furniture.
The last call was the cargo ship KRISLIN on Saturday 8 May. Water cannons were inserted to suppress dust from the cargo on the quayside, and cloth was laid between the quay and ships to capture any spills during loading.
Oslo Havn KF and Norsk Gjenvinning AS issued an apology for the inconvenience caused by the two test ships of woodchips from Ormsund in April and May.
The port authority said that further shipping of this product has been halted with effect from 10 May 2021.
“The remaining woodchips on the Ormsundkaia are set to be removed and the area cleared as soon as possible. Emphasis has been placed on this resulting in as little dust as possible and that this does not happen on upcoming holidays,” said Einar Marthinussen, commercial director at Oslo Havn. “Norsk Gjenvinning AS, which is behind the test ships, is conducting inspection and clean-up of the contaminated beach zone.
“Dust from production is wood dust and does not contain hazardous substances that increase health risks, but if you stay close to it, you will experience discomfort in the eyes and airways.
“Consequently, we have required the use of dust masks for those who are in the immediate vicinity of grinding and unloading the material. For personnel staying in adjacent areas, the amount of dust has not been found to pose a health hazard and consequently there are no requirements for a dust mask.”