Icebreaker Otso into action, heading for Bay of Bothnia to assist traffic in Tornio, Oulu, and Kemi

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The Finnish icebreaker Otso left Helsinki’s Katajanokka Harbour on Monday around noon, heading for the Bay of Bothnia to assist traffic in Tornio, Oulu, and Kemi. The vessel will arrive in the area on Wednesday December 17th.
     
The icebreaking season began this winter around two weeks later than on average.
      ”According to long-term statistics, the icebreaking season in Finland begins at the end of November”, says Director Atso Uusiaho from the Finnish icebreaker service provider Finstaship.
      At present, the ice thickness in the inner archipelago of the Bay of Bothnia varies between 5 and 20 centimetres.
     
So far no vessels have needed help, but in a few days the icebreaker will probably be required to assist the weakest vessels to Kemi and Tornio.
      For Niklas von Bruun-Riegels, the master of the icebreaker Otso, this is his 33rd winter at sea.
      The captain does not think that the icebreaking season began this year particularly late.
      ”Last year we set off no sooner than on New Year's Eve. The direction was the same, as the Bay of Bothnia is where winter arrives first”, notes Bruun-Riegels.
     
According to the captain, winters are no longer what they used to be.
      Both winters and ice conditions have changed remarkably. In the 1970s and 1980s icebreakers were needed to assist ships even in the Bothnian Sea and the Sea of Åland.
      Bruun-Riegels continues, saying that navigating through ice-covered waters has also changed for the icebreakers themselves, because the winter winds are now stronger than before, and as a result the ice tends to pack more.
     
Finstaship’s Uusiaho estimates that another Finnish icebreaker, the Kontio, will leave for the Bay of Bothnia at year's end.
      Depending on the ice conditions, Voima could also head for the Gulf of Finland, while Sisu could leave for the Bay of Bothnia to assist Kontio and Otso.
      If needed, Urho will be used for assisting duties either in the Gulf of Finland or in the Bay of Bothnia.
     
In addition to the five icebreakers at the Katajanokka quay, Finland has three multipurpose icebreakers. Two of them are currently in Norway, while one is in Scotland.
      According to a contract made with the Finnish Maritime Administration (FMA), the multipurpose icebreakers can also be used for operations in Finland if the need arises.


Links:
  Finstaship
  Finnish Institute of Marine Research - Baltic Sea Portal: Ice Situation
  Finstaship Fleet: Otso

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