On Saturday afternoon the passenger ferry M/S Amorella ran aground in the Åland Islands while attempting to reach the Långnäs harbour. Divers are currently assessing the hull of the vessel for damage.
According to Viking Line the hull of the ship lightly scraped the seabed and ran onto rocks around 12.40pm on Saturday. The vessel had been affected by electrical problems prior to the incident.
The ship was carrying 1,945 passengers at the time, but according to the operator they were not in any danger and were served food and drink onboard.
Eyewitnesses described the lights on the ship suddenly going out, before the ship lurched to the right and a loud crash was heard.
The bow of the Amorella is now slightly lodged on the rocks. According to the owner a small leak has been detected in one of the water ballast tanks.
Thomas Erlund, sea-traffic control manager for the Finnish Transport Agency, told Yle that they have currently closed off the shipping lane to vessels other than those involved in rescue work.
Erlund said current information suggests the Amorella would have had time to drop both anchors before running aground. The channel in which the incident happened is especially narrow.
The Viking Amorella makes its daily departure from Turku to Stockholm at 8.45 am.