Ships | The 25-meter ship was about to sink in Herttoniemenranta – This is what the owner commented

in Herttoniemenranta a pumping operation was underway between Thursday and Friday, when the Helsinki rescue service saved the 25-meter Paloma steel vessel from sinking.

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Ilta-Sanom in the story, the fire chief Mikko Mäkynen said that the Helsinki rescue service was alerted about the sinking of the ship by a bystander. According to Mäkynen, the ship was filling with water at a fast rate and was in danger of sinking.

HS reached Paloma's owner By Mari Melotindos from a business trip from Italy. The rescue service contacted him on Thursday evening and told him about the danger of the ship sinking.

“I contacted the person who has the key to the ship. After he got there, there was no going into the engine room anymore, because it was full of water,” says Melotindos.

The rescue service used four pumps to get the water out of the ship, and the ship rose up. According to the owner, the reason for the water ingress is not yet clear. The rescue service left one pump at the scene.

“The ship needs to be emptied even more to see where the leak is. The search is ongoing and a definite reason has not yet been found.”

To the place the person invited was the husband of the former owner of the ship Harri Hamberg. He took care of the maintenance of his wife's ship for 7-8 years, so he knows the ship well.

Hamberg suspects a cracked bottom valve as the cause of the leak. He last visited the ship this morning.

“Cracking of the bottom valve often happens to ships in winter, especially when the ship is in the same place for a long time. The water comes in from the valve hole in the bottom of the ship by force,” says Hamberg.

According to Hamberg, the reason for the bottom valve cracking may be related to recent, strong temperature fluctuations. That is why the heating is always on in the ship's engine room.

Paloma's engine room also had heating.

Now it is suspected that there has been a power cut on the pier, which is why the heaters have gone off.

Hamberg plans to go into the ship's engine room today to look for the leak.

“It is mysterious that the water supply stopped. I don't understand what has happened.”

Additional heaters are also being brought to the place, with which the interior of the ship is blown dry.

The ship will be repaired in the spring at the latest.

“The only option is to tow the ship to the dock after leaving the ice.”

Experience has been “rough” for Melotindos.

He spends a lot of time on the ship also during the winter. The last time he stayed on the ship was two weeks ago and everything was fine on the ship.

According to him, the bottom valves are protected with wool and the heat has been on every winter. He has owned Paloma for 10 years.

“This has never happened before. Now it's important to get there to find out if it could be vandalism.”

There are currently several ships at the Herttoniemenranta pier all year round. They have repeatedly experienced vandalism by outsiders over the years.