Drift Ice Hampering Ship Traffic at Sillamäe and Pärnu
The rickety Tarmo icebreaker is being called into service to replace the Swedish-flagged Vidar Viking on the Gulf of Finland, where ports to the west are open but ships calling at Sillamäe still need assistance due to drift ridged ice up to 40 cm thick.
On the Gulf of Riga, the multifunctional EVA-316 has developed a technical problem and will take two or three days to fix.
The substitute icebreaker Castor reached the operating area early today.
On the Bay of Pärnu, there is still fast ice up to 40 cm thick from the port of Pärnu to Sorgu island. From there to Kihnu island, it is drift ridged ice, which only ships with powerful engines can get through on their own.
Kristopher Rikken