Wisting under scrutiny

The latest Tromsø / Finnmark news from the past 48 hours: consultation on the Wisting oil field, located near the ice zone, has been criticized by the Marine Research Institute. At Romssa Arena, a stand reserved for visitors gave way during the Tromsø IL – Bodø/Glimt match, with four people examined and one hospitalized. In Vadsø, a shortage of teachers in Kven and Finnish is limiting learning of both languages.

Oil: Wisting, a project on the edge of the ice zone

Wisting is the largest oil field on the Norwegian continental shelf where no production has yet begun. Before any production starts, an impact assessment must establish what the potential development of the field would mean for marine life. Equinor and its partners recently submitted a proposed programme for this upcoming assessment. The Institute of Marine Research (Havforskningsinstituttet) believes that the document has significant shortcomings (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

“It is very close to the actual, dynamic ice zone, a highly vulnerable ecosystem with abundant wildlife,” says research director Monica Sanden. According to her, Wisting would be one of the most northerly oil fields in the world if it were developed, with a planned floating production facility on site. She also highlights the risk that an accident in this area would pose.

The case remains at the consultation stage: no decision has been announced on starting production. It primarily concerns Tromsø / Finnmark news, the region that today covers the counties of Troms and Finnmark — the former county of Troms og Finnmark was dissolved on 1 January 2024.

Tromsø news: a stand gives way at Romssa Arena

In the 41st minute of the Tromsø IL–Bodø/Glimt match at Romssa Arena, several people fell through the stand in the away section. Bodø/Glimt goalkeeper Nikita Haikin gestured emphatically to referee Ola Hobber Nilsen, who quickly stopped the match. The police confirmed that two people fell through the structure. In total, four people were examined by medical personnel: one was taken to hospital, while the others were checked on site and appeared to be fine, according to Bodø/Glimt media manager Simen Pedersen (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

Magnus Støver says that his brother Sigurd has broken ribs. “We were jumping a little to a song, and it broke underneath us like a fucking piece of cardboard,” he says. “I don’t remember the last time I cried so much.” Tromsø IL managing director William Frantzen told TV 2: “Above all else, this is tragic. It is a serious incident that we are taking extremely seriously.” The police cleared the away stand.

Tromsø IL confirms having approved this stand just days before the collapse (iTromsø, 8 November, 20:00). The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) reminds clubs that they are responsible for safety at stadiums (Nordlys, 8 November, 23:00). A Tromsø IL representative visited the hospitalized Glimt supporter at UNN (iTromsø, 8 November, 21:00).

Languages: Kven lacks teachers in Vadsø

At Vadsø primary school, Magne Abrahamsen is a Finnish teacher. He is interested in Kven and says he supports the Kvensk språksenter project to produce textbooks adapted to the Kven spoken in Varanger. “If we want to promote Kven in Varanger, we need books adapted to the region’s language,” he explains (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

The problem lies further upstream: no school in Vadsø offers instruction in this language. “Today, there is only one Finnish teacher here, and no other teacher at this school speaks Kven,” Magne Abrahamsen says. He believes the authorities should prioritize training more teachers, in both Finnish and Kven.

Health: 98% plastic in dental clinic waste

Research by UiT The Arctic University of Norway and the University of Bergen analyzed waste from clinics where dental students work in Tromsø and Bergen. The result: 98% of this waste is plastic-based (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

“There was surprisingly a lot of single-use plastic,” says Margit Hågå, a PhD student at UiT and one of the study’s researchers. On average, four plastic cups are used per patient in Bergen, and as many as 17 face masks for a single filling in Tromsø. “A large part of this plastic is obviously important for maintaining protection against infections, but this is overconsumption,” she adds. This waste cannot be recycled: it often contains blood and saliva, or is made up of several materials.

📌 Local Briefs

In Senja, police intervened after a car crash: the car ended up on its roof, and the driver had left the scene before being found and airlifted to Tromsø hospital by ambulance helicopter; his licence was seized on suspicion of drunk driving (NRK). In Finnsnes, a fight broke out in a nightclub between two teenagers shortly before midnight; several people attacked the patrol and destroyed a police car, and two late-teenagers are facing charges of violence against police and threats (NRK).

In Hammerfest, kicking and punching were reported; in Kirkenes, a man had to leave the city centre after a scuffle outside a pub; in Alta, a man was taken into custody after harassing police (NRK). A rockslide affected a county road (Nordlys, 8 November). Ferry cancellations are possible due to a forecast of severe weather (Nordlys, 8 November, 23:00). Tourists lit fires on Sten Egil’s land, and he says he does not understand their behaviour (Nordlys, 9 November, 00:00). Sandra, 38, from Porsanger, is publishing a book and returning to Ukraine with her baby (iFinnmark, 8 November, 21:00).

Sources: NRK Tromsø / Finnmark, Nordlys, iTromsø, iFinnmark, The Local Norway — Period: 08 November 2026 and 09 November 2026