Icebreakers work to free vessels
Source: Agencies |
March 16, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ICEBREAKERS have been called in to free dozens of ships that became trapped in ice in the Gulf of Finland near St Petersburg, Russia, last week.
The administration of St Petersburg's port said at least 97 ships were still waiting for help yesterday, down from 160 ships two days ago.
The eastern Gulf of Finland has not seen such thick ice since 1992, according to the Federal Agency of Sea and River Transport. The ice is more than 1 meter thick in some places.
Most of the trapped ships are cargo vessels, but some are passenger ferries. Many have been trapped for days.
Among the ships freed over the weekend was a ferry that had been stuck for six days with 12 people on board, including a pregnant women. The ferry runs between a port near St Petersburg and the Kaliningrad region.
The Princess Maria ferry running between St Petersburg and the Finnish capital, Helsinki, has been suspended since March 9. It was due to resume operation today, its operator said.
The federal agency said 10 icebreakers, including the nuclear-powered Vaigach based in Murmansk, were leading the ships to open water in caravans.
Andrei Kovalyov of Rosmorport, a state company overseeing sea ports, said passenger ferries and ships with hazardous cargo were being given priority.
He said the situation could improve within three weeks if weather conditions were favorable.
The administration of St Petersburg's port said at least 97 ships were still waiting for help yesterday, down from 160 ships two days ago.
The eastern Gulf of Finland has not seen such thick ice since 1992, according to the Federal Agency of Sea and River Transport. The ice is more than 1 meter thick in some places.
Most of the trapped ships are cargo vessels, but some are passenger ferries. Many have been trapped for days.
Among the ships freed over the weekend was a ferry that had been stuck for six days with 12 people on board, including a pregnant women. The ferry runs between a port near St Petersburg and the Kaliningrad region.
The Princess Maria ferry running between St Petersburg and the Finnish capital, Helsinki, has been suspended since March 9. It was due to resume operation today, its operator said.
The federal agency said 10 icebreakers, including the nuclear-powered Vaigach based in Murmansk, were leading the ships to open water in caravans.
Andrei Kovalyov of Rosmorport, a state company overseeing sea ports, said passenger ferries and ships with hazardous cargo were being given priority.
He said the situation could improve within three weeks if weather conditions were favorable.
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