A ferry on its way from Finland to Estonia with 850 passengers became stuck in thick ice for several hours today before being set free by the passage of other ships, maritime officials said today.
Atso Uusiaho from Arctia Shipping, which operates icebreakers in the Baltic, said there were still some 15-20 ships that needed assistance because of ice. The Nordlandia was the only passenger vessel caught up.
The Baltic region has been gripped by unusually cold weather for weeks, with temperatures dipping below -20 degrees.
The Nordlandia became stuck some 12 kilometres from shore after leaving Helsinki at 8am.
"It (the ferry) has been freed from the ice, and is well on its way towards Tallinn," a watch supervisor from the Gulf of Finland Vessel Traffic Centre said.
Other ferry traffic in the area had broken the blanket of ice, Eckero Line spokesperson Ida Toikka-Everi said.
"Passengers are all well, and our crew just informed us that the atmosphere on board is calm and quiet," Toikka-Everi added.