The icebreaking season started this winter much earlier than in recent years. Currently, seven out of the nation's fleet of eight icebreakers are out assisting shipping in Finnish waters.
The icebreaker Kontio was the first to leave its home port of Helsinki, setting out for the Bay of Bothnia on 23 November to keep sea lanes open in and out of Kemi and Tornio.
"It was an early departure. There was already quite a bit of ice here when we arrived on November 25th," says the ship's captain, Veli Luukkala.
Next, on 5 December, Otso headed north, and a week later it was the turn of Voima, whose first destination was the southern reaches of the Bay of Bothnia, before moving on to the eastern Gulf of Finland. Polaris, Urho and Sisu also all set out to sea in January.
The most recent departure was on 15 January, when the multipurpose icebreaker and offshore support vessel Fennica started operations in the Gulf of Finland.
"It is very unusual at this time of year that almost all the icebreakers are already assisting shipping. Only Nordica is standing by to depart the port of Kotka," explains Paavo Kojonen, business director of the state-owned company Arctia, which provides icebreaking and offshore services.
The Bay of Bothnia started freezing earlier than in many years. It is now is completely frozen over. The last similar situation was in 2011 and before that in 2003.
"However, maritime traffic has gone very well this winter, we wanted to be on the safe side," says Paavo Kojonen.
Wind plays a role
The icebreaker Kontio is currently assisting maritime traffic to and from Kemi, Tornio and Oulu. According to its captain, Veli Luukkala, despite the severe cold, the winter has been a relatively easy one for the Finnish icebreakers so far.
"The winds are now mainly from the east, which makes it easier for us since the ice shifts towards Sweden. On the Finnish side, the ships can navigate better by themselves and the assistance needed is easier and the time shorter," Luukkala points out.
Generally, the prevailing winds are from the southwest. Captain Luukkala says that the toughest situation is when the ice cover has already formed and the wind or a storm pushes it toward the Finnish coast.
"A path for the ships can be opened up, but a side wind keeps squeezing it closed again. The job slows down when you have to tow ships longer distances. It's a kind of just grinding ahead as long as the wind is blowing," he explains.
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