Denmark EPA Reports Maersk Oil to Police For Dumping Chemicals into North Sea

Photo: Carsten Medom Madsen / Shutterstock.com

COPENHAGEN, Aug 10 (Reuters) – The Danish environmental protection agency (DEPA) said on Thursday it had reported Maersk Oil, the oil unit of A.P. Moller-Maersk, to the police for discharging chemicals into the North Sea in connection with oil production.

“Maersk Oil has in several cases, in violation of the regulations of the marine environment law, released so-called ‘red’ chemicals in connection with oil extraction in the North Sea,” said the agency in a statement.

“It’s a complicated case and we have no comparable practices in the field. However, we consider that they may be so serious that they should be investigated by the police. Therefore, we will submit a police report,” commented the head of DEPA, Inger Bergmann.

Four colors are being used to classify chemicals used for oil recovery in Denmark and red are the second-most environmentally harmful class after black.

Maersk Oil said in an emailed statement it had been notified by DEPA, whose decision follows a report it submitted to the agency on 7 August 2017.

“Maersk Oil will cooperate fully with DEPA and the police,” it said.

(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen; Editing by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017.

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