Container with toxic chemicals fell off Finnish ship near Swedish coast
Swedish Coast Guard says container unlikely to be found
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Three freight containers fell off a Finnish vessel in the Baltic Sea south of the Swedish island of Gotland late Saturday.
One of the containers on the ship, the Linda, contained toxic chemicals. A detailed report on the contents is expected on Monday.
The Swedish Coast Guard searched for traces of the fallen containers, but only parts of one of them could be found in the water. Swedish officials suspect that the load in that container either sank, or washed up on the shore. On Monday the Coast Guard said that it is likely that the missing containers will never be found.
Other ships in the area were warned of floating debris. The depth of the water in the area where the containers went down varies between 60 and 100 metres.
The chief on duty at the Swedish Coast Guard at the time, Annette Sted, said to the TT news agency that four containers had been piled on top of each other on the deck of the vessel, and the lowest one collapsed, sending the other three over the edge.
TT reported that at least one of the containers had disinfectant, which is dangerous if it leaks into the sea. There was also another substance that could have negative environmental consequences, as well as a flammable substance.
The substances were packed separately inside the container. Experts are currently assessing the possible long-term consequences of such an event.
The crew of the Finnish ship notified Swedish officials as soon as they noticed the accident.
The vessel was en route from Rotterdam to St. Petersburg, where it arrived late on Sunday.
The vessel was leased by Containerships, whose deputy CEO Mimmi Nordström said on Sunday that they have the legally-required information on the contents.
“One of the containers had spices and the other had chemicals, which are not dangerous. One of the containers has dangerous chemicals, as classified by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)”, Nordström said.
The problem is that the classification does not specify in detail what the substances are. Nordström notes that the substances have not necessarily leaked into the sea. “They were packed goods, which were in the container.”
At the Finnish Environment Institute, head engineer Kalervo Jolma does not feel that the accident is necessarily a very serious one.
“Three containers fall into the sea, and only one of them is believed to have dangerous substances; they do not pose a very great risk to the environment”, says Jolma, who is responsible for environmental safety in accidents involving freight ships.
On Sunday evening shortly before 7:00 PM, the ship docked in St. Petersburg.
“We have commissioned experts to produce a report. It will probably take until Monday”, predicts Nordström.
The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation is calling for better safety instructions for the transport of hazardous substances at sea.
The environmental group notes that in three recent dangerous situations, crew members have not known exactly what hazardous substances were contained in a vessel.
The Uusimaa chapter of the association has proposed new guidelines that would make sure that ships have detailed information on any poisonous substances on board a ship.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 8.2.2010 - TODAY |
 Container with toxic chemicals fell off Finnish ship near Swedish coast |
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