After being informed of the possible use of force against the aid vessel, Finland's Foreign Ministry was in contact with the S/V Estelle that left Naples, Italy on October 7th headed for Gaza, carrying aid including school and hospital supplies.
"We pointed out that that there may be risks involved", says Risto Piipponen of the Finnish Foreign Ministry.
According to Piiponen, the Foreign Ministry has emphasized to Israel that the Estelle is a civilian vessel and urged Israel to refrain from any actions that may endanger the ship's crew.
"There are always risks and we do not know what action Israel may undertake. We have stressed to Israel that the Estelle is a civilian vessel and its crew is made up of civilians. We have urged Israel to measure its actions accordingly."
The Estelle is Swedish-owned, but flies the Finnish flag. The crew is comprised of Swedes, Norwegians, Danes and two Finns. The captain and boatswain are both Finnish nationals.