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A Baltic Sea ferry with almost 430 people on board ran aground between Sweden and Finland. As announced by the Finnish shipowner and the coast guard, the ferry “Grace” ran aground near the port of Mariehamn.
The ferry was supposed to make a stopover in the capital of the Finnish Åland Islands, it was en route between Finnish Turku and the Swedish capital, Stockholm. But it didn’t come to that: around 1:15 pm, the ferry hit a breakwater on the side.
The cause of the accident is not yet clear, but the wind is blowing, the coast guard initially announced on Twitter. Another tweet that night said the situation remained stable. There is no danger for passengers, they must spend the night on board as a precaution and not yet be picked up. The situation will be monitored, rescue teams are on standby.
According to a Viking Line spokeswoman, there were 331 passengers and 98 crew members on the ship. On Sunday passengers will be told which ship they can take to Sweden or Finland. “The situation on board is calm and dinner is being served,” the company announced.
Due to a storm warning, the company used the “Grace” instead of a smaller and less robust boat. Meanwhile, the divers examined the hull to see the best way to restart the “Grace”.
In September, another Viking Line ferry, the Amorella, ran aground again on the Åland Islands. At that time the passengers had to be evacuated.
