Two crewmen lost their lives after the Finnpilot Pilotage pilot boat L 242 capsized in bad weather and heavy seas in the Gulf of Finland off of Emäsalo island south of Porvoo, southern Finland, at 16.58 on 8th
The accident occurred when the pilot boat was on its way to pick up a pilot at the northern pilot boarding position, following which despite efforts to right the overturned vessel, it eventually sank during the righting operation. Divers worked for eight hours to determine whether survivors might be trapped within the upturned hull, but the bodies of both individuals were ultimately found inside the boat’s interior compartments.
The Border Guard reported that heavy swells at the scene created a challenge for the response team. Both of the victims were employees of Finnpilot, and they were the only two people on board at the time.
The pilot boat had been in the service with Finnpilot since late 2015. It had a length of 15.4 metres and width of 5.1 metres, and was inspected by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.
The cause of the capsize is unknown at the present time, but the police have launched an investigation into the two fatalities and an accident investigation will be carried out by Finland’s Safety Investigation Authority. The salvage of the vessel has been delayed due to bad weather. Finnpilot intends to raise it with the aid of the Safety Investigation Authority (OTKES) and the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). The salvage operation is expected to take about two weeks, depending on weather
