Finland steps up oil-spill preparations amid Russian shadow fleet risks, Ukrainian drone strikes
Finland has begun installing special anchor points along its Gulf of Finland coast to allow oil-containment booms to be deployed quickly in the event of a spill, as concerns grow over Russia’s aging shadow fleet and Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, Finnish broadcaster Yle reported.
Several dozen ring bolts have already been installed in coastal rocks in the eastern Gulf of Finland, with about 350 planned in total. The anchors will allow emergency crews to quickly secure containment booms if oil spills into the sea.
The work began last week after the end of the bird nesting season, according to Finland’s state-owned forestry agency Metsähallitus. The anchors are being installed across the archipelago between Virolahti and Pyhtää.
Ulla Rosenström, head of the marine environment program at the John Nurminen Foundation, said Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil ports had added to concerns about a possible spill.
“Drone strikes have already targeted Russian oil ports, and of course a vessel carrying oil could also be hit. We are concerned,” Rosenström said.
The foundation also points to Russia’s shadow fleet and the condition of its aging vessels as factors increasing the risk of an accident in the Gulf of Finland.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian oil infrastructure in the Leningrad region on the Gulf of Finland. A drone attack hit the port of Ust-Luga on Aug. 14, causing a fire.
The Gulf of Finland is a major route for Russian oil shipments, including vessels linked to the shadow fleet used by Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions.