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The Finnish Border Guard participated in the Clean Sea oil pollution response exercise

Publication date 15.6.2026 15.54 | Published in English on 17.6.2026 at 10.29
Type:News item
The picture shows a vessel named Tarmo at sea, approached by a boat towing an oil containment boom.
Tarmo, the vessel presenting the ship in distress, is being surrounded with oil containment booms, in order to prevent the oil from spreading.

The Finnish Border Guard participated in the two-day-long Clean Sea oil pollution response exercise, arranged by the Estonian Navy, in Kopli Bay outside Tallinn, on 10–11 June.

In the exercise scenario, an oil tanker ran aground, which resulted in a 1 500m3 oil spill into the sea, as one of the vessel’s oil containers broke down. During these two days, the participants practised international cooperation for recovering the oil, transferring the recovered oil between vessels (Ship to Ship transfer), as well as into a temporary storage in the harbour (Ship to Shore transfer). To control serious maritime accidents, international cooperation and support from the other coastal states in the Baltic Sea region is vital. These shared exercises further the development of shared operational models and let us gather experience of the methods and capabilities of our neighbouring countries, in order that we are ready for efficient cooperation when it comes to the crunch.

The picture shows a harbour, a port basin and people pulling a discharge hose ashore from a vessel’s deck.
Louhi prepares for transfer of the recovered oil in the harbour. 
The picture shows a white vessel named Turva in harbour.
Offshore patrol vessel Turva prepares for transfer of recovered oil in the harbour.

In total, 11 vessels from Estonia and Finland participated in the exercise. From Finland, the Finnish Border Guard’s offshore patrol vessel Turva, the Finnish Navy’s vessel Louhi, and the contract vessel for oil spill response, Grisslan, participated in the exercise. Furthermore, the Finnish Border Guard’s Dornier surveillance aircraft flew over the exercise area on both days to visually observe how the oil spread. Moreover, also specialists from the Finnish Border Guard took part in the exercise. 

The picture shows two vessels at sea, Turva and Louhi. The vessels have their oil spill response equipment in the sea.
Offshore patrol vessel Turva and AG Louhi recover oil at sea using wing booms. 

Common situational picture was used and shared in the exercise, using the Finnish Border Guard’s MERT information system. In addition, Finnish maritime pollution response arrangements were presented to the representatives of Estonian Climate Ministry and Estonian National Audit Office.

The picture shows a group of people standing on a vessel’s deck looking at vessels at sea.
A group of representatives of Estonian ministries familiarising themselves with the exercise.

In Finland, maritime pollution response is carried out by multiple authorities, such as the Finnish Navy, state enterprises, as well as reference centres. In accordance with the Rescue Act, the Finnish Border Guard takes care of rescue operations in connection to maritime oil and chemical spills in Finnish territorial waters and in Finland’s exclusive economic zone, as well as coordinates readiness for them. The rescue departments of the wellbeing service counties are responsible for response actions along the coast and on the shores. Oil spill response volunteers participate in the cleaning of shores and oiled animals. 

More information: [email protected] 
Raja - uutinen