Oil Spill Off Southern Coast Of Finland

"Police have detained a ship’s captain on suspicion of dumping oil near Naantali, south-west Finland on Sunday evening. The large amount of oil has spread out over a wide area of the local archipelago but the effects will not be as bad as feared, say experts.

Initial interrogations have ascertained the light fuel oil was discharged from the ship in Naantali harbour and in the nearby Airisto Strait. The captain of the offending vessel has denied the discharge of oil, police investigators in Turku say. Police have not revealed the nationality of the vessel.

Observations of the oil have been made as far away as Ledsund in the Åland Islands. The largest concentrations are in Naantali harbour itself and in the Airisto strait, a popular holiday area.

The spill is of light fuel oil, which spreads as a film over a large area on contact with water, but dissipates quickly. The biggest threat is to birdlife in the archipelago, says WWF Finland's Project Secretary Toni Jokinen."

ORIGINAL SOURCE: YLE Uutiset