Cargo Ship Captain Falls Asleep, Finnish Vessel Runs Aground In Aland Archipelago

On Friday morning, a cargo vessel reportedly ran aground off Finland’s southwest coast in the Åland archipelago.

The Finnish Coast Guard reported via X that the 50-meter-long, Finnish-registered vessel was transporting a cargo of wood from an Åland island to the port town of Naantali, situated on the mainland of Finland.

Video Credits: MrFinlandsuomi / YouTube

This was later corrected to reflect that the vessel was loaded with grain.

There were three crew members on board when the vessel ran aground, and it is understood that there have been no injuries.

The vessel was constructed back in 1923 in Norway. It is the last old sand dredger of its size in Finland. The ship has remained in the shipyard for a few years, but it has been refurbished and is transporting grain to the mainland and timber to Åland, Sea Lake Shipping’s co-owner and MD Dennis Saari explained.

The Finnish Coast Guard said the shipowner planned to rescue the vessel and recover the cargo.

The authority has been preparing to respond to a probable oil spill, as the vessel has six cubic meters of fuel.

The leading cause behind the accident is not yet known. It will be examined later on. For now, the rescue work has been ongoing, Niklas Guseff, the head of maritime rescue, mentioned in a statement.

The vessel’s captain told the Ålands Radio that he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

References: bnn, yle

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