Finland lobbies for expanded EU-funded spill response capability in Baltic Sea

The Finnish government, through the Ministry of Transport and Communications, is urging the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to spread its network of stand-by oil spill response vessels more evenly across European waters with due regard to the risks of the marine operating environments. Specifically, Finland wishes for the EMSA to launch a procurement procedure to contract a stand-by oil spill response vessel that is capable of navigating in ice and suited to conditions in the northern parts of the Baltic Sea.

The EMSA's network of oil spill response vessels has 14 vessels at the moment. The ministry said only one of these is stationed in the southern parts of the Baltic Sea despite recent years seeing a higher risk of oil spills especially in the Gulf of Finland. The Finnish government therefore believes that the EMSA should contract a new vessel for the northern parts of the Baltic Sea in addition to the existing vessel stationed in the southern parts.

The ministry said the risk of oil spills in the Baltic Sea and especially in the Gulf of Finland has grown as international sanctions have forced Russia to transport its oil with older vessels and weaker insurance coverage. Winter conditions exacerbate the risks and the older vessels carrying Russian crude oil may be poorly equipped and not suited to ice conditions. Also, recovery of oil spilled in ice conditions is more demanding and expensive than in open-water spills.

Finland's objective is that EMSA launch procurement processes from 2024 to 2026 to contract EU-funded oil spill response capabilities for the Baltic Sea. These response capabilities must also be suited to the conditions in the northern parts of the Baltic Sea.