Russian icebreakers operating in Baltic Sea near Estonia
Last week, Russian icebreakers appeared in the Baltic Sea near Estonia. Among them were one of the world's largest nuclear-powered icebreakers "Sibir."
Russian exports through the Gulf of Finland have slowed down in recent weeks due to the freezing weather conditions, which have paralyzed the transportation of metal products through Russia's northern seaports, according to a report by Russian news outlet Kommersant.
"Today, (Russian icebreaker) 'Kapitan Nikolaev,' which is located north of Hiiumaa, moved out to Hiiumaa and assisted a ship that came from Russia. And now it is heading back towards Russia," said Aare Piel, icebreaker coordinator at the Estonian Transport Administration.
"Here is (another Russian icebreaker) 'Sibir,' which according to our information is their most powerful icebreaker. It is currently heading east with a convoy," added Piel.
According to Piel, until last week, the Russian icebreakers mainly operated in the Luga Bay area – a shallow bay near the southern Russian coast of the Gulf of Finland.
"However, now they have started to come here to Hiiumaa. They are bringing Russian ships in and out. In the middle of the bay – this is the economic zone of Finland and Estonia where it is not prohibited (for them) to sail," Piel explained.
The Estonian icebreaker "Tarmo" set sail on February 11 and arrived at the port of Hundipea in Tallinn for refueling on Friday, February 20.
The 63-year-old Tarmo covers the Gulf of Finland alone, mainly operating in areas off the coast of Kunda in Lääne-Viru County and Sillamäe in Ida-Viru County.
Due to the recent freezing conditions, the Estonian icebreaker "Botnica" has now been helping out in the Gulf of Riga for a second week, while "EVA-316" has been working hard to keep things clear in Pärnu Bay.
The ice will continue to form until the end of February, after which it will start to melt back in the sea. However, that does not mean an immediate reduction in the need for icebreakers.
"Because sea ice is mobile, it causes more problems for shipping. It can move from one end of the Gulf of Finland to the other, and also from one end of the Gulf of Riga to the other. That creates more accumulated ice and drift ice, making shipping more difficult and creating the need for icebreakers," explained Toomas Kasemaa, head of partnership relations at the Estonian State Fleet.
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Editor: Mari Peegel, Michal Cole
