Chemical spill at sea would test Estonia’s response capacity, official warns

Estonia has limited capacity to contain or neutralise a large spill of oil or hazardous chemicals at sea or on the coast, writes Kristjan Truu, deputy secretary general for maritime affairs and the aquatic environment at the Ministry of Climate Affairs, in an article published by ERR.

Dozens of vessels regularly stand near Estonia’s coast, while more tankers are moving through the country’s maritime areas. Their technical condition and compliance with international requirements may not always be adequate. Truu also says ports in the eastern Baltic Sea have become part of the risks linked to military activity, making maritime pollution an issue of preparedness and national defence as well as the environment.

This spring, volunteers and officials in protective clothing collected nearly a tonne of sticky heavy fuel oil from Vainupea beach. At the same time, more than 30 tankers were at an informal anchorage north of Vainupea. Nearly half were under sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United Kingdom or the United States. It is not known whether the fuel oil came from one of those tankers or was connected to a drone attack on the port of Ust-Luga.

The incident showed that Estonia has a clear chain of command for oil spills and can handle a smaller spill through cooperation between the state and local communities. A larger release of oil or petroleum products would be more difficult to manage, while hazardous chemicals can be harder to detect and spread more quickly.

Estonia’s marine pollution response plan, approved in December 2023, covers oil spills but not other chemical pollution. The plan says the country lacks the ability to respond to chemical pollution at sea and therefore focuses on oil and petroleum products, while setting out general principles for responding to chemical accidents. Truu says this gap reflects a lack of funding for developing chemical spill response capabilities.

He also calls for a national training platform. At present, each agency prepares for pollution accidents separately and with its own resources. Joint training and exercises could align skills, clarify responsibilities and procedures, and help agencies practise communication and coordination.

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, known as HELCOM, expects countries to be able to respond themselves first and request regional assistance if needed. This requires suitable equipment, vessels, personnel and a clearly designated lead agency at sea and on shore. For oil spills, the minimum capability set by HELCOM is to collect pollution from at least 4.5 square kilometres of sea within 24 hours.