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Heavy fuel oil is reported to have leaked from the Icelandic container vessel Godafoss, which ran aground around the scenic islands of Hvaler on Norway’s southeast coast on Thursday evening.

The 17,000-dwt cargo vessel spilled fuel in an area that borders the Outer Oslo Fjord National Park after having strayed off course for around half a nautical mile before it grounded.

According to the Norwegian Coastal Administration (Kystverket/NCA), Godafoss is estimated to have been carrying approximately 800 metric tonnes of heavy fuel oil when the grounding occurred. Oil is said to have leaked from two tanks containing 250 tonnes each on both sides of the ship, which currently sits lopsided where it ran aground. It is not yet clear what caused the incident.

Norwegian and Swedish coastal administration services placed booms around the area to contain the spill, but oil is reported to have already reached the shoreline. The Swedish coast guard has confirmed that one of its aircraft detected a 2.5-kilometre oil slick in the area.

Kystverket is responsible for managing the spill response operation as the vessel is in Norwegian waters. It has sent two tugboats, an oil spill response vessel and two coast guard vessels to the scene of the incident. The Swedish coast guard has sent an oil spill response vessel, which has been collecting heavy fuel oil from the surrounding area.

Ice, fog and temperatures down to -20° centigrade has made the clean-up work difficult. Much of the leaked fuel is said to have been caught in very thin layers in ice, making it hard to gather. Ice has also been drifting into the oil spill booms and filling them up.

Commenting on the incident, Olafur Hand, spokesperson for vessel owner Eimskip said: "After we have taken care of the situation and made sure that the environment and our crew is safe, we will start worrying about possible consequences for our part."

Kystverket has said that the shipping company would be charged with the full costs of the cleanup operation.