MV Finnbirch

P1

• Stena Prosper

Lloyd 's Register of Shipping

IMO no. 7528609

The Finnish Birch was a Swedish ro-ro ship, which was built as Stena Prosper. On 1 November 2006, the ship sank in the south east of Sweden.

The ship was built under the hull number 646 from Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea and its owner, the Stena RoRo, passed on February 2, 1978. In 1988 it was sold to the Finnish Rettig and further seven years later to the Bore Line. 1999 acquired the Strömma Turism & Sjöfart AB is the last to Finn Birch and her sister ship Finnforest.

Sinking of the freighter

On Wednesday afternoon, November 1, 2006, became the Finnish Birch on their way from Helsinki to Aarhus in storm Britta in distress after the catch on board in eight to ten feet slipped high waves and the ship got so flip side.

The crew members on board had to endure several hours on board, because the Swedish Rescue Services a rescue attempt in the high waves, strong winds and freezing cold with snowfall as too risky einschätzte. Only when the ship sank by 19 clock 37 between the island of Gotland and Öland in the Baltic Sea here about 70 feet deep, the crew was abgeborgen with helicopters. A total of 13 of the 14 crew members, which consisted of four Swedes and ten Filipinos were saved. This had bone and skull fractures, hypothermia and were in shock. A sailor died later in hospital from Kalmar to his injuries.

The ship had stashed at the time of the sinking of about 250 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and ten tons of lubricating oil. The oil spill was not possible because of the storm.

After the disaster, there was criticism of the Swedish Sea Rescue, which had to prove for the first time after the spin-off of the Air Force. Because of the criticism were the long hesitation to save and the new helicopter sea rescue. They are smaller than those of the Air Force, have to refuel more often and overall standing of the entire sea rescue only five helicopters available.