Friday - March 05, 2010

Damn that Al Gore

The ships got into difficulties off Sweden’s east coast, and rescuers were on standby to evacuate them if needed, officials said. It is reportedly the worst Baltic freeze for 15 years. The Swedish Maritime Administration said that ice breakers in the area were trying to free the ships, but gale-force winds were hampering the effort.

”As soon as they break the ice it freezes over again,” sea rescue spokesman Peter Lindquist said.

He said no one was hurt and there were no immediate plans to bring people off the ships, but helicopters and military hovercraft were on standby in case evacuations would become necessary.

The agency said four ships were stuck, including the Amorella, a passenger ferry with 943 people on board. Two other ferries that got stuck in the ice were able to break free.

Dozens of ships stuck in the thick Baltic ice off Stockholm have now been freed.

26 other ships reportedly remain stuck firm in ice in the Baltic Sea off the Bay of Bothnia to the north.

Those broke free included five passenger ferries, carrying more than 1000 passengers, who were trapped half-way-through for several hours in frozen waters.

Amorella, a cruise ship with 943 people on board, the smaller Via Mare ferry carrying 66 people, the passenger ferry Sea Wind with 32 people and the Regal Star, a cargo ship with 56 people on board were freed by rescue teams deployed by Swedish Maritime Administration.

Isabella and the Finnfellow, two other ferries that got stuck in the ice, were able to break free Thursday.

Both Sweden and Finland have deployed ice breakers in the area to help the stranded vessels.

STOCKHOLM (AFP) – Around 50 ships, including large ferries carrying thousands, were stuck in the ice in the Baltic Sea Thursday and many were not likely to be freed for hours, Swedish maritime authorities said.

“Around 50 commercial vessels are waiting for help from ice breakers (and) we have had as many as six large passenger ferries stuck, but have managed to free two of them,” Johny Lindvall of the Swedish Maritime Administration’s ice breaker unit told AFP.

He said all the six ferries besides one were shuttling passengers between Sweden and Finland, while the Regal Star ferry, which had been stuck since midnight (2300 GMT Wednesday)—had been on its way to Estonia.

So maybe nobody is quite sure of the number, but it looks like it’s a whole bunch. Icebreakers are working to free them all just as fast as they can. Worst freeze in the Baltic in 15 years. Guess we know where all that ice from the “melting” North Pole wound up. Time to play Where’s Waldo with Al again.

Posted by Drew458     on 03/05/2010 at 06:53 PM   
Filed Under: • Climate-Weather •  
• Comments (5) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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