A fire broke out Wednesday morning on Russian trawler Bukhta Naezdnik at Brevik harbor in Tromso, Norway, decimating the vessel and leaving owner Norebo with a costly clean up ahead of it.
The fire was first reported at 11 am on Wednesday, and firefighters battled the blaze throughout the day and evening. Eventually, the vessel listed on its port side and the blaze was extinguished. The cause is unknown.
The 64-meter stern trawler, built in 1991 and operated by Norebo subsidiary Murmansk Trawl Fleet, targets cod and haddock in the Northeast Atlantic, and was equipped to produce and H&G and fillets.
The vessel had 200,000 liters of marine diesel on board when it sunk, raising serious environmental concerns about its impact.
The Norwegian Coast Guard is working to contain the spill, but does not know how much continues to leak from the vessel.
The agency said its next priority is to ensure a safe, full removal of the wreck as soon as possible.
Firefighters battled to get the blaze under control as it spread through the vessel.
Twenty-seven of the trawler's crew of 29 were taken to hospital to check for the effects of possible smoke inhalation.
The local hospital reports that no one was seriously injured.
