ABSTRACT
In recent years, the volume of maritime traffic has significantly increased in the Gulf of Finland, especially because of the expansion of the Russian oil exports from harbors such as Primorsk and Vysotskiy. Up to the recent economic recession, the volume of oil exported from Russia has increased every year, and it is expected to keep increasing in the future (Kuronen et al. 2008, Helcom 2010). With this increasing traffic density, inherent risks such as oil spills are of special concern due to the highly vulnerably marine ecosystem of the Gulf of Finland (Helcom 2010).
