The Swedish Coast Guard detected 269 oil spills in Swedish waters last year
The Swedish Coast Guard detected 269 oil spills in Swedish waters last year, down by 44 compared to the year before. The total estimated amount of oil was 50 cubic metres, about half of the amount in 2005.
“There is of course a number of unrecorded cases, we can’t be everywhere all the time”, says Kristina Falk Strand of the Swedish Coast Guard to SSG. “How large that number is, is of course difficult to say, but we believe that it is decreasing”.
According to Strand, there are a number of reasons behind the decrease in spills and in unrecorded cases; better ships, increased environmental awareness among crews, shipowners and charterers, more efficient surveillance by aircrafts and satellites and a better co-operation between authorities in the Baltic Sea states.
Despite new legislation, legal proceedings against oil spill villains are however still a difficult issue, says Strand.
