Captain and chief engineer of British vessel questioned over Archipelago Sea oil spill

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Police in Turku will today be questioning the captain and the chief engineer of the British vessel Lettland in connection with a suspected spill of up to 4,000 litres of oil from the ship. The oil slick was noticed on Wednesday about 32 kilometres southwest of the island of Kökar, one of the southernmost of the Åland Islands.
     
Based on the hearing, the police will then decide whether the men will be allowed to continue their journey or if they will have to remain in Finland.
      The possible trial would be held in the semi-autonomous Åland Islands, in the territorial waters of which the leak was spotted.
      The Åland Islands’ legislation does not yet oblige the master of the vessel or the shipping company that owns it to compensate for the caused oil spill based on its extent. Had the incident happened elsewhere in Finnish waters, the amount of indemnity would be in several thousands of euros, the Turku police points out.
     
According to reports in the Turku daily Turun Sanomat, the Coast Guard vessel Tekla took samples from the vessel and from the sea. The results of analysis of the samples at the laboratory of the National Bureau of Investigation, Finland's central criminal police arm, will be available in a couple of weeks.
      On Wednesday, a Coast Guard helicopter on a routine surveillance flight observed a sheet of oily water, so-called bilge water, apparently emanating from the British merchant vessel. The slick extended for around nine kilometres in length and had spread out to around 200 metres across.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Captain and chief engineer of Russian freighter in custody over suspicious oil spill at Airisto (2.5.2007)
  Finland soon to be able to fine ships for oil spills on high sea (2.2.2006)
  Finland getting tough with oil spills (29.4.2004)

Helsingin Sanomat