Icebreaking season successfully concluded
The icebreaker Polaris concluded the 2024–2025 icebreaking season on 20 May when it returned to its home port of Katajanokka, Helsinki.
Although the winter was mild, strong winds created difficult-to-navigate slush zones and compacted ice, making the Bay of Bothnia ice field particularly challenging for commercial vessels in some areas.
"The ice-covered area was significantly smaller than usual, at its largest only 85,000 km². On the other hand, parts of the region were quite difficult to navigate due to the stormy weather early in the winter, which caused the ice to become compacted. Throughout the winter and spring, winds mostly blew from between the south and west, only shifting to the north in May. This had an exceptional impact: the fairways to Tornio and Kemi became ice-free before those to Raahe and Kalajoki," explains Polaris’ captain, Pasi Järvelin.
The season was opened by the icebreaker Kontio, which began operations on December 19. In the Bay of Bothnia, Kontio, Otso, Sisu, and Polaris ensured the smooth flow of maritime traffic. Icebreaking assistance was not needed in the Gulf of Finland this season.
Arctia’s icebreakers operated for a combined total of 479 days during the season. They assisted merchant vessels 1,076 times and carried out 150 tows. The total number of nautical miles covered by the icebreakers was 32,946. The average waiting time for vessels awaiting port entry was 4.8 hours, with 91.5% reaching their destination without delay.
Arctia warmly thanks its personnel and partners: the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Traficom, Fintraffic VTS centers, Finnpilot pilots, the ships and shipping companies assisted by the icebreakers, shipbrokers, ports, the Swedish icebreakers and the Swedish Maritime Administration (Sjöfartsverket), as well as everyone else who contributed to the success of the 2024–2025 icebreaking season.