The winter navigation question
Icebreaker assistance in Finland is free of charge. However, the vessels must comply with the general instructions on icebreaker assistance as published in the Winter Navigation publication.
All vessels arriving for the first time of the icebreaking season to a Finnish or Swedish assistance area will be asked the following question:
“Will you commit to compliance with the general instructions on icebreaker assistance published by the national maritime authorities?”
The answer to the question is “yes” or “no”. The answer “yes” entitles icebreaker assistance and does not incur any expenses for the vessel. The answer “no” will affect the provision of future icebreaker assistance to Finnish ports.
The vessel or the shipping company can send the answer in advance by e-mail to Turku Radio (turku.radio@fintraffic.fi) which forwards the information to authorities. Shipping companies can send a combined answer in advance for all their vessels operating in the area.
Ice accretion observations
Vessels are requested to report observations of ice accretion to the Finnish Meteorological Institute primarily by filling in the form on the website https://virpo.fmi.fi/reports/ or by email to Turku Radio.
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