The Swedish Coast Guard (Kystbevakningen) in its latest statement of last night, states that almost all the oil spilled after the grounding of the passenger ferry “Marco Polo” now has sunk below the surface of the water, which means that the oil collecting at sea by ship is no longer possible.
The forecast by the authorities says that the oil is drifting towards land below the surface of the water, partly towards the same area as before in Swedish areas of Blekinge, and partly towards Åhus in Skåne, where the Swedish Coast Guard has informed the relevant municipalities and county administrations.
Tuesday’s environmental rescue efforts to recover oil spilled from the “Marco Polo” have been hampered by much of the oil sinking below the sea surface during the day, and increasingly difficult weather conditions with waves, meaning that working with smaller boats is no longer efficient.
The Swedish Coast Guard states that they are in close contact with the organizations on land that have the task of protecting and cleaning up beaches, cliffs and bays, and that The Swedish Coast Guard with around 75 people engaged on site and their partners have taken up almost 11,000 liters of oil over the past few days.
The ferry “Marco Polo” is still aground, in accordance with the announcement of last night, but there is a risk that the stability of the vessel could be affected by the increasing wind.
The shipping company is working to secure the vessel, and present a salvage plan. As it was noted yesterday in the announcement, the shipping company waited for the tugboats to arrive late on Tuesday.
