This winter’s weather conditions have provided work for Estonian icebreakers, and since the beginning of the year more than 50 ships have been freed from ice off the Estonian coast, writes ERR News.
Two state-owned icebreakers, Botnica and Eva, are working in the Gulf of Riga, along the Estonian islands and on the coast near Pärnu, while Tarmo is freeing waterways east of Tallinn, in the Gulf of Finland. Tarmo will set off late on the 10th of February, while icebreakers have been working around the port of Pärnu and in the Gulf of Riga since January.
Ice cover in the Gulf of Riga forced all cargo ships on their way to Riga to cross Estonian territorial waters via Roņu Island on the 9th of February. Latvia also has one icebreaker, Varma – it, like the Estonian Tarmo, is of a respectable age. Andres Laasma, the director general of the Estonian Navy, said that under the optimal plan, the 60-year-old Tarmo could have a service life of up to 2028, and that a plan needs to be developed for what to do after that.
Of the more than 50 ships that icebreakers have helped to get back on their feet, most, 45, have been at sea near Pärnu, while several others have needed help in the Gulf of Finland. The situation in Finnish territorial waters is even more complicated, which is why Finnish icebreakers are operating there.
Laasma pointed out that
while such weather conditions are not unprecedented, they usually happen about once every seven years.
He said that the last time such a harsh winter occurred was in 2011, when all the icebreakers were working.
Even the arrival of warmer weather does not mean that the icebreakers will return to their berths. In fact, depending on the direction and speed of the wind, their help may be needed even more.
Aare Piel, the transport authority’s icebreaking coordinator, said that the most difficult conditions tend to be in the spring – in March 2011, 120 ships were stuck in the ice at the same time.
Icebreaking costs eight million euros a year, regardless of the weather. This includes maintenance of icebreakers and keeping them ready for work.
The average depth of the Gulf of Finland is 35 meters, while the Gulf of Riga is 26 meters. In places between Estonia’s largest islands, the water is no deeper than five meters, and the freezing sea has caused chaos for ferry traffic. This winter, a low-pressure area has caused water levels to drop across the entire Baltic Sea, which, together with the ice cover, is causing problems for shipping.
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