According to the Coast Guard, the previously unidentified substance covers a huge area of 77 square kilometers. Preliminary investigations into environmental crimes have been launched.
An unknown substance has been discovered on the water surface in the sea between Sweden and Finland.
As the Swedish Coast Guard announced on Thursday, the substance covers a huge area of 77 square kilometers – roughly the size of the southern Swedish city of Malmo. So it’s still unclear what it is.
However, the authorities determined that it was not mineral oil. There is currently no acute danger that the substance will end up on land.
Which ships were in the area?
The substance was discovered on Wednesday between Söderhamn and Härnosand in the Gulf of Bothnia, the northern part of the Baltic Sea. Photos showed a long carpet with the substance on the open sea. According to the Coast Guard, it extends into both the Swedish and Finnish economic zones.
Preliminary investigations into environmental crimes have already been launched. Among other things, it is now being examined which ships were last in the area and what cargo they had on board.
