Finland will struggle with the consequences of the actions of Russian tankers

Finland calls for increased resources to eliminate oil spills in the Baltic Sea, caused by vessels of the “shadow fleet” of the Russian Federation.

Finland has asked the European Union to purchase an additional vessel for liquidation of oil spills in the northern part of the Baltic. This is eported by Splash.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications of the country emphasized that old ships of the Russian Federation with dubious insurance pose a serious risk to the environment. The consequences of oil spills are especially noticeable in winter, because many Russian ships used for illegal oil exports are not adapted to work in ice conditions.

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) currently has 14 oil spill response vessels stationed in various European ports. The Finnish Ministry offers the agency to purchase 15 vessels for work in the northern areas of the Baltic Sea, in particular, in the Gulf of Finland.

Against this background, the Baltic states, led by Sweden, are conducting a diplomatic campaign, calling on other states to support tougher measures against the Russian “shadow fleet”.

According to brokers BRS, this year the global illegal tanker fleet has grown by 17% and has 787 vessels. Thus, it makes up 8.5% of the total capacity of tankers. Among them, the tonnage of tankers by deadweight reached a record 93.7 million tons, which is 13.7% of the total tonnage of tankers.

Previously, USM wrote that the Russian “shadow fleet” harms the environment due to cheap fuel.