Oil Pollution in Waters of Finland

Abstract

The whole of the Baltic Sea is a vulnerable sea area. Through the narrow Gulf of Finland, 155 million tonnes of oil is transported and also other maritime traffic is remarkably dense leading to a high risk for accidents. Finnish strategy for responding big accidental oil pollution is to act as fast and efficiently as possible on the sea. Mechanical oil recovery is the key. Also, oil pollution from operational discharges is observed on a regular basis. In Finland, operational discharges are monitored mainly by aircraft and satellite. During the last decade, legislation of these discharges has been revisited and updated several times. The polluters may be imposed by an administrative penalty fee. Additionally, a criminal investigation can be carried out. The number and total volume of operational oil discharges has been decreasing during the last 20 years.