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President Halonen of Finland Sees Stemnitsa as Major Safety Risk
4th February 2003
YLE News in English
President Tarja Halonen feels that the Russian
oil tanker, the Stemnitsa, poses a major hazard
for Finland and Estonia. On Tuesday, the ship
was scheduled to load a cargo 100,000 tonnes
of oil before heading back through the Gulf of Finland.
Russia says the tanker is safe, even though it would not pass Finnish regulations for travel in thick ice.
President Halonen said the Russian government should not gamble with the risk the ship poses to the environment. An oil spill in the Gulf of Finland would have disastrous consequences, she said.
Halonen, who was in Brussels on Monday, added that governments should be responsible for implementing adequate safety regulations.
Meanwhile, the Greek owners of the ship say the Stemnitsa poses no threat, because it is following the path of an icebreaker. The Finnish Maritime Association says one is simply not enough. The ship has already been stuck in the ice at least once. The owners refused to say how the ship is insured against oil spills and other accidents.
Diplomatic Efforts to Stop Stemnitsa
Halonen also said that she believes that Russia and Finland will be able to discuss the issue on the ministerial level. Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen had tried in vain for days to reach his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kasyanov by phone. Kasyanov didn't want to discuss the matter on his holiday.
Finland’s Environment Minister, Jouni Backman, denounced Russia’s poor judgement in the situation. He said that the Stemnitsa case highlights the need for cooperation among the countries of the Baltic Sea region.
Minister of Transport Kimmo Sasi told YLE's Aamu-TV morning programme that difficulties arise because Russia and Finland have different standards for licensing ships for winter travel. He said there should be a standardising of international regulations.
Environmental Organisations Concerned
The World Wide Fund for Nature is calling on Finland to be more active in establishing the PSSA classification for the international waters of the Gulf of Finland. The classification is for environmentally sensitive sea areas. The organisation says that this is the only way to keep vessels like the Stemnitsa out of icy sea waters.
Greenpeace, meanwhile, sees political pressure as the most effective way to stop a hazardous ship in harbour, and says that the European Union should put pressure on Russia on the issue.
Greenpeace also wants Sweden to do its part, noting that the Stemnitsa has carried oil from Primorsk to the port of Gothenburg. In December, Sweden committed itself to an agreement to keep ships in poor conditions out of EU harbours.
The company that owns the ship says that the present voyage is the last one that the ship will make to Russia this winter.
YLE24, Finnish News Agency
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