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Three Baltic ferries stuck in the ice

Published: 3 Mar 10 09:41 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/25318/20100303/

Three ferries got themselves stuck in ice in the Baltic Sea on Tuesday forcing almost 500 passengers to return to the Finnish island of Åland.

The ferries - Ånedin Lines' Birger Jarl, Viking Lines' Amorella and Tallink's Sea Wind - managed to break free from thick ice at around 7pm on Tuesday evening.

The Birger Jarl, with 247 passengers on board, had been stuck for over six hours.

The vessel was en route to Stockholm at around lunchtime on Tuesday when she got stuck just north of Norrtälje. The Vidar Viking ice-breaker managed to drag the Birger Jarl free, which then returned to Mariehamn on Åland.

News agency TT asked Ånedin Line why the ship had set sail when there was so much ice in the Baltic.

"Who the hell would have known that so much ice had blown in?" Wolfgang Kukol at the ferry operator said.

The firm announced that Wednesday's ferries will be cancelled but that the remainder of the week should run as normal.

A further vessel - Viking Line's Rosella - was also obliged to abort its journey bound for Kapellskär and returned to Mariehamn. All of her 216 passengers were due to return to Sweden on Wednesday with alternative ships.

The freighter Sea Wind arrived in Åbo later than its allotted time of 7pm on Tuesday evening.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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10:41 March 3, 2010 by peropaco
all that just to go and buy some cheep beer
10:56 March 3, 2010 by glaciator
Beer is cheaper in Sweden than Finland?
11:25 March 3, 2010 by Localer
Finland is cheaper then Sweden
11:31 March 3, 2010 by peropaco
Beer is cheeper on the ferry. Dutyfree. Always see people schlepping beers of the ferry.
16:45 March 3, 2010 by izbz
Oops!!! Who the hell would have known so much ice have blown in? Great answer! FREE BOOZE ON THE HOUSE should have been the answer
17:19 March 3, 2010 by GefleFrequentFlyer
All this talk of finnish ferrys has me bent out of shape for some Koskenkorva.
17:20 March 3, 2010 by Åskar
@izbz, free booze is a standard procedure under such conditions, but I assume they have to draw a line somewhere if it takes too long time.
21:36 March 3, 2010 by scanbyheri
Glaciator and Localer need to fight it out on who's beer is cheaper, I think that was a weak exchange. At least call each other some names. Personally I think it is cheapest and best beer is in Norway but what do I know......
08:54 March 6, 2010 by square
Scanbyheri must be out of your mind to even mention Norway in the pricing debate. Thats why we drive over the border every weekend and smuggle it back from Sweden
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