This week, the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) is leading an effort into how to retrieve tens of thousands of litres of fuel oil from a warship that sank in the Baltic Sea in 1941.
The ship, Ilmarinen, which was taken down by a mine around 40 km from Utö island, poses significant environmental risks, according to Syke.
The wreck is at a depth of around 80 metres and still contains around 100,000 litres of light fuel oil, according to a joint press release from Syke and the Ministry of the Environment issued on Monday.
Using the Finnish Navy's multipurpose vessel Louhi, investigators began the renewed investigation on Monday and the effort will continue until Sunday. The research is being carried out in collaboration with the Border Guard and the Navy.
"Removing the oil from Ilmarinen will protect the Baltic Sea by reducing the risk of oil spills from the wreck. At the same time, we will strengthen the expertise of the authorities and other actors in cleaning up shipwrecks. There are almost 30 shipwrecks in Finland’s territorial waters, which are a risk to the environment," Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Kai Mykkänen (NCP), said in the release.
Leaking oil seen
Syke opened a preliminary investigation into recovering the fuel last year, with help from the Border Guard and the Finnish Heritage Agency. The probe found that the Ilmarinen posed a significant risk to the environment if it were to start leaking oil into the sea.
"According to the investigation, the wreck is well preserved, but particularly its surface shows significant changes caused by corrosion. Oil droplets were found to rise regularly from the wreck," the release stated.
The shipwreck is located near the Archipelago National Park, according to Syke.
"The winds and currents prevailing in the area are likely to carry a potential oil spill towards the national park," the release stated.
The Ilmarinen was the flagship of the Finnish Navy from 1933 until it sank on 13 September 1941. The wreck was found in 1990. The warship was active during the Winter and Continuation Wars and claimed the lives of 271 sailors when it sank.
The goal is to remove the fuel oil next year, an effort which will be funded by the environment ministry's Ahti water protection programme.
Syke put the fuel removal effort out to tender last year but didn't find a suitable contractor, leading the ministry to agree that the effort would be carried out by various authorities.
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