Turva

On Oct 10, 2023, the 'Turva' was investigating the mysterious damage which had occurred on Oct 8 at 2 a.m. at the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, which runs at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland. It was still unclear where sabotage or accident where behind the leak in the gas pipeline, the repair of which will take at least five months. The authorities' investigation was still in its early stages. But seismologists measured a small tremor near the gas pipes. According to the Uppsala University, the magnitude corresponds to approximately one on the Richter scale, which is about 30 times smaller than the explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines. What was responsible for this, was unclear. The only thing that is certain is that there is damage to the pipeline on the seabed that connects Finland and Estonia, most likely caused by external influences. For Charly Salonius-Pasternak, researcher at the Finnish Institute for Foreign Policy, "the list of states in the region that have the opportunity, motive and ability to carry out something like this is quite short. There's only Russia." A Russian ship was said to have been near the gas pipeline over the weekend of Oct 7/8. Moscow perceived Finland's accession to NATO in April as a provocation and announced a reaction. According to Norwegian seismologists, a ship's anchor could have struck the gas pipeline and caused the tremor. The damage could have been caused by either a mechanical collision or an explosion. The NATO also wants to support the investigation into the incident in Finland and Estonia. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels: "If it turns out that this was a deliberate attack on NATO's critical infrastructure, then that would result in a united and decisive response from NATO." However, the investigation into the leak could take a long time. Report with photo: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/finnland-estland-pipeline-leck-100.html

STX Finland Oy’s Rauma Shipyard recently delivered the TURVA, a 96-meter dual fuel offshore patrol vessel, to the Finnish Border Guard. The 96 meter by 17 meter wide TURVA will be stationed in the Gulf of Finland, operating 300 days per year. The versatile vessel will provide frontier supervision, maritime search and rescue (SAR), environmental protection and monitoring of natural resources, oil spill response on the open sea, and cooperation with other authorities. The TURVA is fitted with three Wartsila 34DF engines with dual fuel capability, with operation on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) with low emission levels and Marine Diesel Oil (MDO) diesel oil as fuel. The Turva can provide support for the operations of auxiliary ships and helicopters, with the ability to operate in virtually any weather and visibility conditions on the Baltic Sea. The boat’s hull and its systems have been designed with seaworthiness and operational dependability in mind to ensure functioning capacity under extreme conditions. The patrol boat features a large working deck and an oil recovery system and high-capacity tanks for recovered oil, facilitating long operating times. If necessary, open sea oil spill response activities can be performed on rough seas and in winter conditions. The ship also features capability to respond in case of serious chemical accidents.