Heavy Fuel Oil Spill Cleanup Continues on Estonia’s North Coast Next Week

Cleanup operations for a heavy fuel oil spill along Estonia’s northern coast will continue into next week, environmental officials confirmed on Friday.

The spill, first detected on April 2 near the Pakri Peninsula, originated from a damaged fuel tank aboard the Maltese-flagged cargo vessel MV Sea Diamond, which ran aground during severe weather in the Gulf of Finland. Approximately 150 tonnes of heavy fuel oil were released before the vessel was secured and towed to safer waters.

Estonia’s Environmental Board reported that containment booms have been deployed along 12 kilometres of coastline, with skimmers and absorbent materials recovering an estimated 90 tonnes of oil to date. Shoreline cleanup teams, including personnel from the Rescue Board and contracted environmental firms, are manually removing contaminated sand and debris from beaches between Loksa and Viimsi.

“We are prioritizing ecologically sensitive zones, particularly nesting areas for seabirds and seal haul-out sites,” said Ingrid Liiv, head of marine pollution response at the Environmental Board. “Mechanical recovery is nearly complete in open waters, but intertidal zones require careful, labor-intensive work to avoid further habitat damage.”

The Estonian Ministry of Climate has activated its national marine pollution response plan, coordinating with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) under the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism. EMSA has provided satellite monitoring and technical advisory support, though no additional response vessels have been dispatched from its regional stockpiles.

Preliminary assessments by the Estonian University of Life Sciences indicate elevated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon levels in intertidal sediments, though water column concentrations have dropped below acute toxicity thresholds for fish and invertebrates. Long-term ecological monitoring will continue through the summer.

The vessel’s operator, Sea Diamond Shipping Ltd., has accepted liability under the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (Bunker Convention), to which Estonia is a party. The company has submitted an initial claim for cleanup costs to its insurer, the London P&I Club.

Estonian prosecutors have opened an investigation into potential violations of maritime safety regulations, focusing on the vessel’s voyage planning and cargo securing procedures during the storm that caused the grounding. No charges have been filed.

Cleanup crews are scheduled to resume work at first light on Monday, with operations expected to last between seven and ten days, depending on weather conditions and the extent of buried oil penetration in sandy shores.