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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Vessels stuck in Baltic Sea ice | Vessels stuck in Baltic Sea ice |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A number of ships, including ferries with thousands of passengers on board, have become stuck in ice in the Baltic Sea, officials say. | A number of ships, including ferries with thousands of passengers on board, have become stuck in ice in the Baltic Sea, officials say. |
| The ferries are stranded in the waters between Stockholm and the Aland Islands, while cargo boats are stuck in the Bay of Bothnia. | |
| Many of the vessels are not likely to be freed for hours, Swedish maritime authorities were quoted as saying. | |
| Officials say no-one is hurt and there are currently no evacuation plans. | |
| Both Sweden and Finland have deployed ice breakers in the area to help the stranded vessels. | Both Sweden and Finland have deployed ice breakers in the area to help the stranded vessels. |
| "The ice wouldn't usually be a problem for the merchant ships, the problem now is that it's very windy, about 20 metres per second," Jonas Lindvall, controller of the ice-breaking unit at the Swedish maritime authorities, told Radio Sweden. | |
| "That means that the ice is moving rapidly, there are lots of ridges with ice that's making it problematic for the ships, so they need help from the ice breakers," the controller said. | "That means that the ice is moving rapidly, there are lots of ridges with ice that's making it problematic for the ships, so they need help from the ice breakers," the controller said. |
| Six Viking Line ferries - which regularly shuttle thousands of passengers between Finland and Sweden - were among the vessels stuck. Two of the boats were later able to break free from the ice. | |
| Unconfirmed reports say there were minor collisions between two of the ferries when they tried to manoeuvre in packs of ice. | |
| It is reportedly the worst Baltic freeze for 15 years. | |
| Are you on one of the vessels? Do you have any information you would like to share with the BBC? If so please complete the form below. | Are you on one of the vessels? Do you have any information you would like to share with the BBC? If so please complete the form below. |
| Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 100 or you have a large file you can upload here. | Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 100 or you have a large file you can upload here. |
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