Passenger Ferry Runs Aground in Hanö Bay, Causing Oil Leak
On Sunday, October 22, at 06:25, an alarming incident occurred when the passenger ferry TT-Line Marco Polo ran aground in Hanö Bay. The vessel immediately started leaking oil, causing concern for environmental damage. Surprisingly, at the time of the incident, the captain was casually brushing his teeth and initially believed it was just an engine failure.
The Cyprus-flagged ferry was en route from Trelleborg to Karlshamn and then to Klaipeda in Lithuania. Despite the oil leak, the Marco Polo continued sailing for another half mile before becoming stuck once again. It was only after contacting the Swedish Maritime Administration’s sea and air rescue center that the captain realized the severity of the situation and ordered the evacuation of passengers.
Unfortunately, the oil leak continued, and within a few hours, it had reached Hörvik in Sölvesborg municipality, contaminating approximately a two-mile stretch of coast. The consequences of the leak became evident as a large number of birds were discovered injured, their plumage stuck together by the oil. Stefan Gabrielsson from Catastrophehjalp Birds and Game estimates that thousands of birds have been affected and require daily washing.
Efforts to clean up the oil spill have been ongoing, both at sea and along the shoreline. However, it is estimated that it will take up to a year to completely remove the oil from the affected areas. Unfortunately, on October 29, a week after the ferry got stuck, it slipped off the ground only to become stuck again, causing another oil spill.
According to the salvage master at the Dutch salvage company Smit, three damaged tanks have resulted in approximately 150,000 liters of oil leaking into the sea. Only a third of the leaked oil has been remediated so far. Notably, the thick oil that leaked out was actually banned since 2020 but Marco Polo had received a dispensation due to cleaner exhaust gases. Ida-Maja Hassellöv, a professor of maritime studies at Chalmers, describes this particular fuel as “the worst you can imagine.”
The shipping company TT-Line, the operator of Marco Polo, finally made a statement on November 2, after the ferry was towed to Stillerydshamnen in Karlshamn. Jan Seeman, the technical director of TT-Line, expressed apologies for the incident but declined to comment on the cause, awaiting the investigation’s findings. The company has faced criticism for its delayed response and lack of transparency.
Both the captain and the third mate have already received day fines from Prosecutor Adrien Combier-Hogg due to negligence in maritime traffic. Investigations revealed that a broken GPS on board and reliance on it in foggy conditions contributed to the incident. As a result of the environmental damage caused, environmental law professor Jonas Ebbesson suggests that a large claim for damages can be directed against TT-Line.
The Marco Polo incident serves as a reminder of the potential consequences when safety precautions are not followed, and highlights the need for prompt and efficient response in protecting the environment from oil spills.