New oil leak from grounded Swedish ferry

Stockholm (AFP): A passenger ferry that ran aground in the Baltic Sea last weekend causing a large oil spill has sprung a new leak of oil, the Swedish coast guard said Sunday.

The Marco Polo ferry, operated by TT-Line, ran aground south of the southern city of Karlshamn on October 22, with the vessel’s 75 passengers safely evacuated.

Swedish authorities said on Thursday that the ship was still stuck and leaking oil, adding that it would likely take days before a salvage operation could be started.

On Sunday, the Swedish Coast Guard said in a statement that there was “a new oil leak,”, the extent of which could not yet be assessed.

Due to strong winds, “the vessel drifted in the afternoon and an evacuation (of the remaining crew members) is being carried out by the Maritime and air rescue centre (JRCC),” the Coast Guard said.

It added that the ship then ran aground again, half a nautical mile from its previous position.

Sweden on Friday fined two crew members for “recklessness in maritime traffic”.

Some 25,000 litres (6,600 gallons) of oil were collected from the area during the week, with Swedish authorities saying it could take as long as a year to completely clean up the spill.