Controversial Nuclear Submarine Docked in Tromsø
A Sea Hawk helicopter interacting with the nuclear submarine USS New Mexico during another mission in the Atlantic Ocean. (Photo: US Navy)
On Monday morning, an American nuclear-fueled submarine docked in Tromsø, despite widespread objections.
The nuclear-fueled American submarine appeared by the coast around 7 a.m. Monday morning. At around 9 a.m., it passed Karlsøy Island on its way to docking at Tønsnes port by Tromsø. The Norwegian coast guard vessel Harstad escorted the submarine together with the Lupus towing boat. The coast guard vessel acts as escort for the submarine, which docked at around 12 noon.
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The nuclear-fueled American submarine docks in Tromsø for logistical reasons.
There have been widespread reactions after it was decided for nuclear allied vessels to use the port near Tromsø. Tromsø municipality has neither the competence nor equipment required to manage a potential accident involving nuclear waste.
A ban on flyovers on and around the port is in force for three days in relation to the arrival of the submarine. The Army, the Home Guard, the Navy and the Air Force secured the area.
Tromsø is one of the cities in Norway that holds an official duty to receive allied vessels, and Tønsnes is thus one out of two ports in Norway for the NATO alliance’s nuclear-fueled submarines. In order for NATO to be able to use the port near Tromsø, the Armed Forces had to conduct a risk and vulnerability analysis in order to map potential consequences of accidents in the Tromsø area and recommend measures to take.
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This article was originally published in Norwegian and has been translated by HNN's Elisabeth Bergquist.