Sweden suffers from oil pollution. A ferry carrying 75 passengers ran aground in the south of the country on Sunday, releasing a slick of fuel which reached the coast in the evening.
The TT-Line ferry Marco Polo sank south of Karlshamn on Sunday morning and the passengers were quickly evacuated, according to the coast guard press release. The ferry “leaked diesel fuel for several kilometers before running aground where it was stuck”.
Decontamination of the site will begin this Monday
“Investigators are on site to determine the circumstances of the accident,” said Jonatan Örn, senior coast guard investigator, quoted in this press release. The preliminary investigation was opened for violation of maritime legislation and the ferry had deviated from its usual route when the grounding occurred, he told public radio P4.
The diesel spread until it hit dry land at the end of the afternoon on a coastal strip located in the municipality of Sölvesborg, said the authorities of Blekinge county. The Swedish Civil Protection Agency (MSB) was called in for reinforcements and will begin decontamination of the site this Monday, they said.
Thick fog in the area
The Marco Polo ferry operated a connection between the ports of Trelleborg and Karlshamn in Sweden. Thick fog prevails in the region, which made it difficult to assess the extent of the oil spill on Sunday afternoon.
Swedish authorities, the ship’s command and TT-Line’s shore team are assessing the ferry’s damage, the company said. The ship’s hull had several holes in the front and middle of the ship and water had seeped into them, according to Swedish news agency TT. The extent of the damage is under investigation, but there is no risk the ship will sink, said Henrik Pahlm, head of maritime supervision at the Swedish Transport Agency.