Finland asks EU for oil-spill response ship in Gulf of Finland over shadow fleet risk

Finland has called on the European Union to procure an additional oil-spill response vessel for the northern Baltic Sea, specifically the Gulf of Finland, citing risks from Russia's shadow fleet, Bloomberg reports. The European Maritime Safety Agency currently operates 14 such vessels. Finland's transport ministry said the tankers are poorly equipped and unsuited to icy conditions, adding that recovering oil in winter is more demanding and costly than in open water. The request was made with Sweden and Estonia, which planned an event at EMSA's board meeting in Lisbon to press for more EU funding for the region.

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