KALININGRAD, July 28. /TASS/. Crews of rescuers from Russia, Lithuania and Poland are expected to take part in an exercise out in the Baltic Sea where they will simulate an emergency elimination of an oil spill, Vitaly Tsykhotsky, the chief of the Kaliningrad Maritime Salvage and Coordination Center told TASS.
The legend of the exercise suggests that a refueling ship gets damaged in the sea in the process of tying up. Up to 300 tons get into seawater, thus posing a risk of contamination of the shore of the Kaliningrad (Vistula) Spit.
The rescuers will be expected to limit off the area of the emergency situation, to collect black oil from the surface of the sea and to transport it to a recycling facility.
"The exercise will involve six ships and seacraft, as well as a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian Agency for Maritime and Inland Waterway Transport, the company LUKOIL-Kaliningradmorneft, the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy, and a number of fuel companies.
Poland’s maritime search and rescue service has committed three ships and Lithuania, one rescue ship of the national naval forces.
Exercises of Russian, Lithuanian and Polish rescuers are held in the format intergovernmental agreements on prevention of contaminations of the Baltic Sea.
On the basis of recommendations of the Helsinki Commission, the three countries have set up a regional grouping of forces that hold exercises twice a year.
"Fortunately, the joint efforts of the three countries’ rescuers in the real extreme ecological and other situations in the Baltic Sea haven’t been needed so far," Vitaly Tsykhotsky said.