USA, Finland to Reach Icebreaker Deal
U.S. President Donald Trump and Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb will meet on Thursday at the White House tosign a pact for the U.S. Coast Guard to buy up to four icebreaker ships from Finnish shipyards, the White House and Stubb said.Trump and Stubb have established friendly ties since Trump regained power in January, and the two met in March at the president's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and played a round of golf."I will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on icebreaker cooperation together with (U.S.
US to Deepen Military Cooperation with Finland, Despite Scaling Back Elsewhere
The United States is committed to deepening military cooperation with Finland, Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said on Thursday, despite U.S. plans to scale back its operations elsewhere on NATO's eastern flank in Europe.Finland, which joined NATO in 2023 in response to Russia's 2022 invasion of its other neighbour Ukraine, has a bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement with the U.S., granting the U.S. military unimpeded access to 15 facilities and areas in Finland."We are very pleased that the U.S. is prepared to deepen their cooperation with us," Hakkanen told Reuters onboard the U.S.
Finland Charges Eagle S Tanker Captain, Officers Over Cable Cutting Incident
Finland's national prosecutor's office said on Monday it had brought charges against the captain and first and second officers of the Eagle S oil tanker over the cutting of undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland in December.The Georgian and Indian nationals are suspected of aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications by dragging the ship's anchor for around 90 km (56 miles) across the seabed, a prosecutors' statement said.The defendants, who are not permitted to leave Finland, have denied committing the offences and consider that Finland also lacks jurisdiction
Researchers Identify Swedish 17th Century Warship Shipwreck
Researchers have identified a shipwreck off Porkkala, in southern Finland, as the Swedish warship “Falken,” a 17th-century vessel built in Stockholm and considered the “little sister” of the iconic Vasa ship.The shipwreck was discovered 50 years ago, but it is only now that Associate Professor Niklas Eriksson has been able to identify it thanks to a digital 3D model of the ship created by the Finnish Maritime Archaeological Society.“We have realised that a lot of this ship still is preserved," Eriksson said during a dive at the site.
Finnish Authorities Suspect Tanker Crew in Subsea Cable Damage
Finnish prosecutors are considering pressing charges against three senior officers of an oil tanker suspected of damaging undersea power and telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea in December, police and the prosecutor said on Friday.Finnish authorities suspect the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S of having broken the Estlink 2 undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia as well as four internet lines last December by dragging its anchor across the seabed.Finland's…
Danfoss Delivers AC Drives For Finnish Navy Corvettes
Finland-based Danfoss Drives is supplying variable-speed AC drives for the propulsion systems of the Finnish Navy’s four Pohjanmaa-class multi-role corvettes. Part of the Finnish Defense Squadron 2020 project, these corvettes are under construction at Rauma Marine Constructions’ (RMC) shipyard in Rauma, Finland. These AC drives are engineered to withstand the demanding naval environment and comply with stringent requirements for environmental resilience, shock resistance, electromagnetic compatibility…
Vessel in Baltic Cable Cut Case "Has Serious Deficiencies", says Finland
Finland's public transport agency said that an oil tanker suspected of damaging undersea cables in the Baltic Sea was found to have serious deficiencies and will not be allowed to operate until repairs have been made.Baltic Sea nations are on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The NATO military alliance has said it will boost its presence in the region.Finnish police on Dec. 26 seized the Eagle…
Subsea Cables "Torn Apart" by External Force, says Elisa
A pair of telecomm cables appeared to have been torn apart by a strong external force, Finland's Elisa said today, adding that they had now been repaired. The cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea on Dec. 25, 2024.Finnish police seized the Eagle S tanker carrying Russian oil on Dec. 26 and said they suspected that the vessel had damaged the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and four telecoms cables on Christmas Day by dragging its anchor across the seabed."The current suspicion is that the external force has been caused by an anchor…
Finland Court Upholds Oil Tanker Seizure; Subsea Cable Sabotage Probe Continues
A Finnish court on Friday denied a request for the release of an oil tanker suspected by police of damaging an undersea power line and four telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea last week.Finland on Dec. 26 seized the Eagle S tanker carrying Russian oil on suspicion that it damaged the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and the telecoms cables the previous day by dragging its anchor across the seabed.A lawyer representing United Arab Emirates-based Caravella LLC FZ, which owns the tanker…
Vessel Owner Presses Finland to Release Tanker
In the case of the oil tanker suspected of purposefully dragging its anchor to break a subsea power line and telecom cables, the plot thickens.The owner of an oil tanker seized by Finland on suspicion of breaking the power line and four telecoms cables in the Baltic Sea last week is seeking the release of the ship, a lawyer representing the company said on Monday. Finnish police and coast guard officials boarded the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S on Thursday and brought it to…
Vessel Targeted for Subsea Cable Damage Moved Closer to Finnish Port
Finnish authorities are moving an impounded tanker closer to port after boarding the vessel carrying Russian oil earlier this week on suspicion it had damaged an undersea power line and four telecoms cables.Baltic Sea nations have been on high alert after a string of outages of power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and NATO said on Friday it would boost its presence in the region.The Cook Islands-registered ship, named by authorities as the Eagle S…
NATO Bolsters Baltic Sea Ops in Wake of Cable Sabotage
NATO will boost its presence in the Baltic Sea after the suspected sabotage this week of an undersea power cable and four internet lines, while alliance member Estonia launched a naval operation to guard a parallel electricity link. Finland on Thursday seized a ship carrying Russian oil on suspicion the vessel had caused an outage of the Estlink 2 undersea power cable linking it with Estonia and fibre optic lines, and on Friday said it had asked NATO for support.Baltic Sea nations are on high alert for acts of sabotage after a string of outages of power cables…
Finland Boards Vessel Suspected of Cutting Subsea Cables
Finnish authorities said they boarded and took control of an oil tanker travelling from Russia on December 26, 2024, on suspicion it caused the outage of an undersea power cable and three internet lines connecting Finland and Estonia a day earlier.The Cook Islands-registered ship, named by authorities as the Eagle S, was boarded by a Finnish coast guard crew which took command in the Baltic Sea and sailed the vessel to Finnish waters, a coast guard official told a press conference."From our side we are investigating grave sabotage…
Construction Starts on Second Finnish Patrol Vessel
The Baltic Sea has become a flashpoint for a multitude of maritime security issues, a driver for the Finnish Border Guard to renew its fleet.The completion of the two new patrol vessels ordered from Meyer Turku by the Finnish Border Guard is progressing, an on December 3, 2024, production was started of the second ship, planned for delivery in 2026.A start of production ceremony was held at the Baltic Operator shipyard in Gdansk. Representatives of the Border Guard, Meyer Turku…
Finland Coast Guard Detects SatNav Jamming, Spoofing in the Baltic Sea
Finland's Coast Guard said it has detected constant disturbances to satellite navigation signals in the Baltic Sea since April and in recent weeks has seen tankers spoofing their location data to cover up visits to Russia.Last week, Finland's interior minister Lulu Ranne said Finland believes Russia is behind disturbances detected in Finland and the Baltic Sea region in the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) signals used in navigation.The Coast Guard said the GNSS jamming…
Steerprop to Help Outfit Finnish Border Guard Ship
Steerprop won a contract with Meyer Turku shipyard to supply tunnel thrusters and retractable combi thrusters for two newbuild multi-purpose patrol vessels for the Finnish Border Guard.The Finnish Border Guard will replace three obsolete patrol vessels with two new offshore patrol vessels, similar in size to the Turva (Finnish for “protection” or “security”), the largest patrol vessel in the fleet to date. “Our new patrol vessels are multi-purpose vessels that have the capacity…
Shipbuilding: After Two 'Difficult' Years, Meyer Turku Eyes a Positive Future
Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku announced its financial figures for 2020, noting that while the group has had two difficult years, it is slowly moving toward a more positive path.Meyer Turku, part of the German-based Meyer Group, primarily builds cruise ships and large capacity ferries, two sectors where newbuild orders have been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But with many parts of the world now reopening to passenger ships, Meyer Turku is targeting a rebound. “Last year has been in several aspects an extraordinary difficult year…
Boskalis Clinches Port of Helsinki Dredging Deal
Dutch marine services and dredging contractor Boskalis has secured 32 million euros ($35 million) worth of dredging works in Finland's Port of Helsinki.Under the contracts awarded by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, the Port of Helsinki, and the City of Helsinki, Boskalis will deepen de Vuosaari fairway and harbor basin from eleven to thirteen meters in the Port of Helsinki.The Dutch company will then use and utilize a part of the dredged material for the development of Helsinki’s Hernesaari area, which is close to the center of the city.
Rolls-Royce Invests $65m to Upgrade Thruster Facility
Rolls-Royce completed a nearly $65m upgrade and refurbishment of its thruster manufacturing plant in Rauma, Finland, consolidating production over a single site.The plan to overhaul the site started in 2016, and after nearly three years the refurbished site was officially opened on January 22, 2019, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony performed by Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Mr Mika Lintilä.“Our azimuth thrusters are one of our most important products, providing mission critical power and propulsion for some of the largest floating objects on the planet…