Lithuania's law enforcement will investigate whether only half a ton of oil has leaked into the Baltic Sea from the Būtingė crude oil terminal, as claimed by the Polish-owned operator Orlen Lietuva, according to Environment Minister Simonas Gentvilas.
"Looking from above and seeing the size of the stain in the sea, it’s hard to believe that it's only half a ton [and] I remain sceptical," Gentvilas told LRT RADIO on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Orlen Lietuva said the incident was under control after 480 litres of oil entered the sea on Monday. According to Lithuania's officials, the oil slick has most likely thickened into clumps and sunk to the seabed.
Read more: Oil spill in Lithuania ‘dissipates’ in the Baltic Sea
"Under the environment ministry's methodology, a company responds to incidents of up to one ton, and the state responds to everything above. And here I see that Orlen Lietuva might want to reduce the figure," he said, adding that the ministry will turn to law enforcement for an investigation.
Orlen Lietuva has been importing oil via Būtingė since 2006 after the company bought the country’s oil refinery near Mažeikiai, northwestern Lithuania.
Read more: Oil spill reported at Lithuanian terminal, pollution moves towards Latvia
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