|
Finns urge Russia to halt use of unsafe tankers, fearing oil catastrophe in the Baltic Sea
Environmental News Network
13th February 2003
By Matti Huuhtanen, Associated Press
HELSINKI, Finland -- Fearing an oil spill in the Baltic Sea -- now covered in some of the thickest pack ice in memory -- Finland has urged Russia to stop the use of unsafe oil tankers and adopt international safety standards.
"The situation is far from satisfactory. Traffic is growing in the region, and the chances of an accident continue to grow," Finnish Transport and Communications Minister Kimmo Sasi said Wednesday.
Sasi spoke as the Minerva Nounou, with 100,000 metric tons (29.4 million gallons) of crude on board, passed by the Finnish coast after loading Monday at the Russian oil terminal of Primorsk, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) east of the Finnish capital. The tanker, flying a Greek flag, is the sister ship of the Stemnitsa which has made two trips to Primorsk this winter, the coldest in 40 years.
With temperatures dipping to minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit), pack ice has been as thick as 80 centimeters (32 inches), causing a major maritime hazard. Finland has deployed all nine of its icebreakers to keep sea lanes open.
Although both Greek tankers are double-hulled, they are reinforced against ice only at the bows, which makes them vulnerable to crushing from the sides. Russia has designated them safe to operate in icy water.
"The problem is we have different safety standards," said Sasi.
Sweden also has protested, and on Tuesday its government presented draft legislation to improve safety at sea.
Apart from the ice hazard, there are fears that a disaster could happen as shipping increases in the narrow passages where international waters can be as close as 18 kilometers (11 miles) to the shoreline. Oil transport has tripled in the region since the mid 1990s, to 60 million metric tons (17.6 million gallons) in 2002, and could double in the next few years.
"Not enough research has been carried out on the environmental effects of a major accident in the Baltic Sea, and it should be done before a catastrophe happens," said Lea Kauppi, director of the Finnish Environment Institute.
The Baltic has a low saline content, making it difficult to break down impurities, including decades of untreated sewage, chemical, and other waste from Russia and from the Baltic states during five decades of Soviet occupation. Also, Finland and Sweden freely dumped agricultural waste into the waters until recently.
Fearing the worst, Finland turned to the European Union for help but was told it could do nothing. Protests to Russia by Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen didn't work, and Sasi's counterpart, Russian Transport Minister Sergei Frank, would only consent to providing a pair of Russian icebreakers each time the tankers load up. Finland and Russia have agreed to set up working groups to streamline safety standards, but results were not expected for two years, he said.
Top
|
