04/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - Following a telephone conversation between Paavo Liikanen and Romano Prodi, the European Commission has promised Finland to pass on to the Russian authorities Helsinki's concerns over the passage of an oil tanker off the Finnish territory Given the unfavourable meteorological conditions, Finland in fact fears that the ship flying the Russian flag should break up, causing an oil slick. A Commission spokesperson said on Tuesday that the ship has a double hull of recent construction (2000) and does not therefore belong to the category of vessels that the Commission proposes banning from European ports following the Prestige disaster. Furthermore, he added, the ship is accompanied by an icebreaker, which limits the risk of it falling foul of the ice.