Environment Ministry wants new oil-fighting vessel for Gulf of Finland

Replacing ageing Hylje with new ship would cost EUR 30-40 million

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The Ministry of the Environment proposes that Finland invest in a new multi-purpose oil-fighting vessel that would operate in the Gulf of Finland. The new ship, with a price-tag estimated at EUR 30 to 40 million, could replace the ageing Hylje belonging to the Finnish Navy by 2008.
      In December, the government decided against acquiring a new multi-purpose icebreaker for the Gulf of Finland.
      According to Finland's Environmental Administration (SYKE), the alternatives to a heavy icebreaker were a smaller vessel capable of functioning both in ice and in shallow coastal waters, or equipping a tanker operating in the coastal region with oil-spill cleanup equipment.
     
The Ministry of the Environment ended up recommending that a new multi-purpose vessel be submitted for the Navy's use to replace the 25-year-old Hylje.
      "If ordering the ship can be fitted into the supplementary budget, a deal with a shipyard could be made in the autumn, and the new vessel could be in operation in early 2008", explains Environmental Counsellor Olli Pahkala of the Ministry of the Environment.
      The oil-fighting vessel is included in the government's Baltic Sea Protection Programme. The government bill promises that an icebreaker suitable for dealing with oil spills and other chemical leaks at sea be purchased or use in the Gulf of Finland.
     
Authorisation to spend EUR 134 million on the purchase multi-purpose icebreaker services was included in last year's budget, for the Finnish Maritime Administration and SYKE.
      Two bids were received to produce the vessel, both of them from Finstaship, Finland's state-owned producer of specialised services of icebreakers and multipurpose vessels, but these bids were significantly higher than the EUR 134 million on the table.
      The present fleet operating in the Gulf of Finland has limited capabilities in functioning in thick ice or in rough seas. Better preparedness is also required for emergency towing and firefighting tasks. Finnish vessels were in action most recently off the Estonian coast, but were forced to call off their work as the oil slick drifted closer to the northern shore of Estonia.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish oil-fighting vessels return home - oily ice pushes toward Estonian coast (20.3.2006)
  Finnish vessels fight spreading oil slick in icy Gulf of Finland (17.3.2006)
  Finland sends two vessels to fight oil spill off Estonian coast (16.3.2006)
  Government agrees on funding for multi-purpose icebreaker for Gulf of Finland (11.8.2004)

Links:
  Finland’s Environmental Administration

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