Finnlines' ropax ferry Finneagle responsible for 5,000-litre oil spill in Turku archipelago

Master and chief engineer both detained by police

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According to preliminary police findings, the oil spill reported in the Turku archipelago in yesterday's edition was from the Finnlines ropax ferry MS Finneagle.
      The causes of the spill of around 5,000 litres of light fuel oil were said to be a technical fault and the negligence of the vessel's crew.
      The oil came from the Finneagle, which arrived in the port of Naantali on Sunday, as she was travelling from the Åland Islands towards Finland.
      According to Det. Insp. Kaarle Lönnroth, the leak was not noticed on the vessel immediately, and this issue is to be investigated further.
      On Monday, the general view had been that the oil was from some ship that had been heading westward away from Finland.
     
A Finnlines representative admitted on Tuesday that the vessel involved was one of theirs, and the police confirmed the matter in the evening.
      It appears that the oil leaked when fuel oil was transferred from one of the ship's tanks to another, owing to a technical fault.
     
The vessel's Swedish captain and Finnish chief engineer are being held in custody over the spillage.
      A marine surveillance aircraft of the Border Guard made a further flight over the affected area on Tuesday, and noted that the slick was no longer visible, suggesting that favourable weather conditions - Tuesday was quite sunny - had promoted the evaporation of the oil from the sea surface.
     
The MS Finneagle (29,841 gross tons) is on a regular run between Naantali and the Swedish port of Kapellskär.
      The ship remains in service as there are numerous crews manning the vessel.
      The 188-metre ropax ferry was built in Spain in 1999 and is registered under the Swedish flag. It is owned by Finnlines and operated by the company's subsidiary Finnlink.  


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Police detain captain of ship suspected of oil leak in Naantali (31.3.2009)

Links:
  Finnlines - Finnlink
  Finnlines
  The Ferry Site - Finneagle

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