Finnish Oil Spill Threatens Baltic Coast

Naantali Oil Spill Spoils Åland Islands

Oil from Sunday’s spill near Naantali, south-western Finland, has drifted as far as the Åland Islands. Officials suspect that it leaked from one or more ships. Image: YLE Uutisgrafiikka. Image may be subject to copyright.

Location Map. Image credit: For licensing details click here.

A long slick of light fuel oil extending for more than 100km has been detected off southwestern Finland in the Baltic archipelago, according to officials.

It’s believed that ship traffic was the likely source of the spill because of the  slick’s location which in shipping lanes stretching from the port of Naantali to the Åland Islands.

“The oil is in the ice, but it has not hit shore yet,” Reijo Salminen, a local fire brigade chief, said.

he added that the oil sightings began in Naantali and ran parallel to a shipping lane to Ledsund, located south of the Åland Islands,  local media reported.

“The oil that found its way into the sea is either fuel oil or diesel oil. It floats on the surface and evaporates quickly, therefore not contaminating sites as badly as heavy oil does,” he added.

Related New Links:

• Large fuel oil spill found in Finnish archipelago
• Åland Islands Affected by Naantali Oil Spill

Fargo Flooding Foregone?

Image of the Day

Nature’s Sense of Humor: Ice, Snow and Water

An aerial view shows a vehicle at a crossroad as snow, ice, and water from overland flooding make county roads nearly impassable south of Fargo, North Dakota March 29, 2009. REUTERS/Allen Fredrickson. Image may be subject to copyright.

Fargo Flood Highlights:

• A Red River dike failed early  Sunday swamping Oak Grove Lutheran School in Fargo.
• Hundreds of National Guards,  residents and volunteers have been building and reinforcing all types of floodwalls around the city.
• The river edged lower to about 40 feet at 2:15 pm CDT on Sunday, down from a record of nearly 41 feet on Saturday.
• At least two deaths and 50 flood-related injuries have been reported so far.
• The North Dakota flood has damaged 215 homes and destroyed five in the state.
• About 430 people were evacuated under  orders. More than 2,000 elderly and disabled people were also evacuated from nursing homes and similar facilities, including 88 disabled children from a center in Jamestown, North Dakota, Reuters reported.
• The temperature in Fargo dropped to  minus 1 Celsius (31 degrees F) on Sunday.
• Large snowmelt expected to start by Wednesday.
• The National Weather Service forecast 15 – 30 cm of snow for the Fargo area by Tuesday.
• Higher winds could damage floodwalls.
• Red River is expected to crest at 51 feet in Grand Forks, North Dakota, by Thursday, NWS said.

Related Links:

• North Dakota Floods