Oil spills in broken ice require specialised equipment and expertise

Recent news reports about the Russian shadow fleet have raised concerns about an oil spill in the Gulf of Finland, but the risk of an oil spill has existed for several decades. Likewise, this testing was not just a reaction to the events of the past weeks in the Baltic Sea, but a continuation of a series of tests launched in 2020 to assess the properties, spill behaviour and recoverability of low-sulphur marine fuels in particular in the event of a marine oil spill.

Why is research on low-sulphur fuels needed?

The use of low-sulphur fuels has increased with the introduction of emission regulations for maritime transport. In recent years, these new generation fuels have been involved in incidents around the world. For example, the MV Wakashio grounding in 2020 resulted in the spillage of around 1000 tonnes of Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO).

Lessons have been learned from these incidents that low-sulphur fuels do not behave in the marine environment in the same way as conventional marine fuels.

“During the IMAROS project, it was discovered that low-sulphur fuels have different characteristics, which makes it difficult to predict the behaviour of oil spilled into the sea,” says Heli Haapasaari, Pollution Response Advisor at the Finnish Border Guard Headquarters.

Oil spill recovery testing in ice conditions

The Border Guard commissioned oil recovery tests at the Xamk oil spill response test basin as part of the IMAROS2 project. The aim of the tests was to investigate the effectiveness of mechanical oil recovery in cold conditions.

“The oil recovery test involved pouring oil into broken ice field to simulate an oil spill from a ship onto an opened shipping lane. The IMAROS2 project consortium selected two manufacturers’ oil recovery equipment for the tests following an open call”, says Minna Valtavaara, Pollution Response Advisor at the Border Guard Headquarters.

“When the oil spills into the sea, it quickly reaches ambient temperature, and many low-sulphur oils start to solidify,” says RDI expert Antero Myrén from Xamk, and continues: “Therefore, the recovery systems must have either steam or water heating to keep the oil flowing.”

Introduction to local preparedness

The international experts of the IMAROS2 project also had the opportunity to visit the local oil spill response depot of the Kymenlaakso Rescue Service. After a frosty day outdoors, it was nice to sit down with a cup of coffee and listen to a presentation organised by the Rescue Service. Rescue Chief Teemu Veneskari described the Rescue Department’s preparedness and equipment deployment. Project Manager Lauri Hanski and Development Manager Merisade Kuusela had prepared material to present the MARISEC development work.

The visitors were rather impressed by the amount of equipment, and in particular the systematic way in which it is labelled and stored. In the equipment hall, there was also time to exchange ideas on different techniques and booming tactics.

A particular highlight of the test weeks was the exchange of information between experts in the field. International cooperation and cross-border exchange of information are important for the rescue services already under normal circumstances, but their importance is particularly high in the context of a major oil or chemical spill:

“A serious incident in the Gulf of Finland would affect several countries and would therefore require effective international coordination and preparedness. This is one of the reasons why the Kymenlaakso Rescue Service is an active player in international cooperation, both through projects and, for example, through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. This activity has strengthened our capacity and expertise to both provide and receive international assistance when it’s needed,” says Merisade Kuusela.

Testing was part of a larger development framework

The test week was part of the IMAROS2 project (IMpacts And Response Options regarding low sulphur marine fuel oil Spills), funded through the European Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). The project consortium is composed of both operational and scientific research organisations.

Xamk participated in the project as a service provider. “There is no such testing environment that can operate in winter conditions elsewhere: the Norwegian test facility in Horten is indoors, and in France the temperatures in the Cedre test site do not decline low enough,” says Justiina Halonen, Research Manager at Xamk.

“We will continue to develop our capabilities for testing in freezing temperatures, as there is a need to develop preparedness for cold weather spill response. As the importance of the Arctic region increases, so does the demand, which is why we as a university of applied sciences need to react to changes in the operating environment.”

Further Information

Justiina Halonen, Research Manager, South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, justiina.halonen(at)xamk.fi

Minna Valtavaara, Pollution Response Advisor, Finnish Border Guard Headquarters, minna.valtavaara(at)raja.fi