BALTIC SEAENVIRONMENT PROCEEDINGS No. 59 - Helcom

HELCOM SEMINAR for experts from Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania and Russia on the
implementation of HELCOM arrangements, other
international instruments and related matters
Riga, Latvia
30 August - 3 September 1993
THE FINNISH APPROACH TO IMPLEMENT THE INTERNATIONAL PROVISIONS
CONCERNING THE COMBATTING OF MARINE POLLUTION INCIDENTS
Olli Pahkala
Chief inspector
Ministry of the Environment, Finland
1. GENERAL
The basic principles for the ability to respond oil or
chemical spills in Finland are as follows:
our costal waters with their extensive archipelagoes
and long sea routes are very difficult to
navigate;
considerable amount on oil and other hazardous
chemicals are transported to or from Finnish
harbours;
the nature in the archipelago on along the
coastline is unique and very vulnerable;
quick response to every oil spill is necessary
everywhere along the coastline as is recovery of
oil from the sea in order to protect the shoreline
against oil pollution.
Oil pollution preparedness and response is a shared responsibility
between the government authorities and the
municipal authorities. Oil refineries, harbours and
terminals also have to establish a limited oil combatting
ability of their own.
The Ministry of the Environment has the supreme responsibility
for the management and supervision of the oil
pollution response. The National Board of Waters and the
Environment, operating under the Ministry, is the competent
government oil pollution combating authority.
The government authorities have at present nine specialized
oil combatting vessels. These vessels are multi-purpose
vessels used at normal times as supply vessels by the Navy
or as sea route maintenance vessels by the maritime authorities.
The state-owned oil combatting equipment and material
are stored in 13 depots along the coastline. All the main
coastal cities have their own oil combatting and fire
fighting vessels and depots for their combatting equipment
and material.
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