Lehtomäki: Finnish oil spill fighting capacity needs improvement

Finland’s Minister of the Environment Paula Lehtomäki (Centre) warns that Finland’s capacity to fight oil spills needs improvement.
      Nevertheless she says that for a small country, Finland’s ability to fight oil accidents is relatively good.
      Finland has been upgrading its readiness to deal with large oil accidents in maritime areas.
     
At the end of the year the Finnish Navy is taking delivery of a new multipurpose vessel capable of collecting oil at sea.
      Also, repairs to the oil-fighting vessel Halli are expected to be completed this month.
     
Transports of oil in the Gulf of Finland have increased fivefold in the past 15 years. Currently, Russia transports half of its oil via the Gulf of Finland.
      A working group investigating Finnish readiness to fight oil spills notes that Finland should also prepare for spills of chemicals other than oil.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Officials hope to improve safety of oil transports in Gulf of Finland (3.6.2010)
  Oil spill accidents have to be prevented in advance (31.3.2009)
  Russian Port of Ust-Luga to increase risk of oil catastrophe in Gulf of Finland (7.10.2008)
  Tanker runs aground in Gulf of Finland - major environmental disaster averted (12.2.2007)
  Gulf of Finland an increasingly important conduit to the West for Russia (26.5.2006)
  Environment Ministry wants new oil-fighting vessel for Gulf of Finland (21.3.2006)