C2/​1997M Gen­eral Cargo Ves­sel ms MAR­JESCO, Ground­ing at Pu­umala on 11.4.1997

28.06.2001

German general cargo vessel ms MARJESCO was 11 April 1997 on her way from Varkaus in Saimaa Lake district in eastern Finland to Zaandam the Netherlands with timber as cargo. At the Strait of Puumala where the pilot boarded the vessel the fairway was free of ice. Icebreaking vessel JÄÄKOTKA had passed the place about two hours earlier. The opened lead was full of loose ice. The thickness of the fast ice was about 40 centimetres.

The change of the pilots took place at 04:45. Wind was easterly 5-7 metres/second. In addition it was snowing lightly and the visibility was 2-3 kilometres. According to the pilot the light snowing disturbed the use of the search lights. The bridge personnel consisted in addition to the pilot of officer of the watch. The pilot steered the vessel in accordance of the normal practise.

The lead had moved from the actual position of the fairway about 20 minutes after the initiation of the pilotage. The edge of the lead thrust the vessel towards the bank. The cutting out of the lead towards the fairway did not succeed due to the round bow of the vessel. Due to the darkness and the head-up display used in the radar the pilot did not notice the danger. MARJESCO drifted aground at a slow speed at 05:10. No leaks resulted from the grounding.