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.

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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