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Oil from Sunken Ship Still Seeping into Sea

A ship which sank off the northern coast of Estonia a month ago has begun to leak oil again, according to Finland’s environmental administration. Finnish vessels were sent to help with the oil spill response work, but by Sunday evening Estonians were handling the situation on their own.

The coastguard ship Merikarhu collected oil all day Sunday from Estonia’s waters. However the oil spill response vessel, Hylje, turned back half-way on its trip to Estonia. The clean-up work is being continued by Estonian forces who say the situation has improved.

Winds from the south and southeast had blown the oil towards Finland, but ice formations have prevented the oil from moving further. Officials said they do not believe the oil will damage Finland's coastline.

The sunken Dominican flagged merchant ship is estimated to have carried over a hundred tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 35 tonnes of light fuel.

Sources: YLE24, Finnish News Agency