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CARGO VESSELS ARE GETTING TRAPPED IN THE BALTIC DUE TO THE MOST SEVERE ICE CONDITIONS IN 15 YEARS
DETAIL INFORMATION
Throughout the Baltic, reports indicate that vessels are getting trapped and requiring additional help from icebreakers, as the area faces the most severe winter weather since the winter of 2010-2011. Finnish officials are rejecting media claims that they had to request Russian icebreakers, but acknowledged that Russian vessels are aiding in the Gulf of Finland and that all countries' icebreakers are operating at full capacity this winter.
Initial reports indicate the presence of thick coastal ice, particularly in Germany, where LNG shipments were postponed until icebreakers could create a passage. Comparable incidents have been documented in various regions of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland at the harbors of Russia, Estonia, and Finland.
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency acknowledged in a statement on February 26 that numerous cargo vessels are trapped in the ice in both international waters and Finnish territorial zones. It had earlier been reported that a significant ice expanse developed in the Gulf of Finland due to severe cold temperatures and minimal winds. As the winds gust, they make the ice accumulate.