Suomenlinna ferry collides with pier again - two people slightly injured

Hapless vessel ordered out of service

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Two passengers were slightly injured on the Suomenlinna II, a ferry which operates between the old fortress island of Suomenlinna and the centre of Helsinki, when the vessel collided with the pier at Helsinki's Market Square on Friday afternoon.
      Witnesses say that the vessel appeared to have steering problems at the time.
      There were 67 passengers on board the ferry, and the crash punctured a large hole in the bow.
      The Finnish Maritime Administration ordered the vessel out of service for an indefinite time. In the meantime, transport between Suomenlinna and the centre of the city will be handled by other vessels.
     
During its six months of service the ferry has experienced a number of collisions and technical problems, and there were plans to examine its steering mechanism next week.
      The previous pier collision had been in October this year, and on Wednesday last week, the Suomenlinna II came close to a collision with one of the large car and passenger ferries operating between Helsinki and Stockholm.
      On Saturday, Deputy Mayor Pekka Sauri (Green) said that Suomenlinnan Liikenne, the ferry company that operates the vessel, has responsibility for the operation of transport between Suomenlinna and Central Helsinki.
      "The City of Helsinki is the buyer of the service, and Suomenlinnan Liikenne is responsible for its maintenance and safety. We expect matters to be handled according to agreement."
      Helsinki City Transport (HKL) buys the service from Suomenlinnan Liikenne, which is half-owned by the City of Helsinki and half by the state.
      On Sunday, Sauri clarified his statement, noting that as part owner of the company, the City of Helsinki does bear some responsibility for the operation and safety of transport between the centre of Helsinki and Suomenlinna.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Safety issues over Suomenlinna ferry scare island inhabitants (17.12.2004)
  Suomenlinna ferry in yet another collision (8.10.2004)
  Finnish Maritime Administration orders new Suomenlinna ferry out of service (13.8.2004)
  Suomenlinna: The most popular stone suburb in Helsinki (21.10.2003)

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