Finnish oil-fighting vessels return home - oily ice pushes toward Estonian coast

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Finnish oil-fighting vessels left waters off the Estonian capital Tallinn on Sunday, where some of them had been collecting oil from a sunken freight vessel out of the icy water since Tuesday last week.
      Hylje, the first of three vessels that helped the Estonians, returned to its home port already on Sunday afternoon. Halli and Seili left on Sunday evening. They are not scheduled to return to the area.
      "The possibilities to continue the work weakened all day. The oily field of ice was pushing toward the shore, and it is not possible to work near the shore with the large vessels. In addition, the oil no longer stuck to our equipment, so we decided along with Estonian officials, that we would leave", says Jouko Pirttijärvi on the Seili.
      The Finns managed to collect nearly 15 cubic metres of oil out of the sea, a fraction of the amount that is believed to have leaked from the sunken vessel. The spill has spread over a wide area. The collectors used on the ship are most effective with heavy grades of oil. Light fuel oil, which had also leaked, would not stick to the brushes that were used by the vessels.
     
The full extent of the damage will become apparent in the coming weeks when spring arrives and the ice melts. Pirttijärvi feels that it is clear that birds will suffer, and that oil will wash ashore. On the other hand, lighter grades of oil evaporate quickly with the help of the sun and warmer temperatures.
      Estonia’s Rescue Centre will not be able to start collecting the oil until it washes ashore. This was expected to start happening already late Sunday.
      Threatened by the spill are about 100 kilometres of Estonia’s north shore. Some of the oil has drifted west, past the Estonian coast. Finland’s coast is not threatened by the oil.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  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)

Helsingin Sanomat