Massive mystery spill in the Baltic Sea
A massive spill of an unknown substance has been detected in the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Sweden.
According to the Swedish Coast Guard, who detected the spill on June 8, the affected surface area is 77 km2 (30 mi2) and is located in both Swedish and Finnish waters.1
“What the spill consists of is still not clear but it is not mineral oil, and there is currently no immediate threat of landfall,” the coast guard said.
It said it had mapped the spill using planes and also collected samples, adding that it would not be able to comment on which measures to deploy until after the samples had been analyzed.
A preliminary investigation into environmental crimes has also been launched.
“New types of fuel being transported at sea are increasing — for instance biofuel — and when in contact with water, they exhibit a great variety of behaviors which makes it more complicated to quickly establish what substance it is,” said Jonatan Tholin, head of the coast guard investigation.2
References:
1 Swedish coastguard spot massive mystery spill in Baltic Sea – The Local – June 9, 2022
2 Swedish coast guard spot massive mystery spill – AFP – June 9, 2022
Featured image credit: Swedish Coast Guard
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