The Safety Investigation Authority (Otkes) announced on Monday that it does not plan to launch a broader investigation into the circumstances surrounding a collision last month between a Viking Line ferry and sections of Helsinki harbour, including the Allas Sea Pool facility.
The authority published the results of its preliminary probe into the incident, which found that the freezing conditions in the habour area at the time of the collision could not be ruled out as a cause of the ship's onboard power outage.
The outage caused the MS Gabriella to drift into the pier, slowly colliding into a wall and the adjacent pool facility. There were about 200 passengers aboard the ferry at the time, but there were no reports of any injuries.
Otkes investigators found that strong winds had led to an accumulation of ice in the harbour basin, making it difficult to steer the ship once the drifting had started.
As a result of the collision, Allas Sea Pool's dock, sauna and other structures were damaged, but the facility's swimming pools were not. The collision also damaged the hull and bow of the ship, and it was taken out of service for repairs.
Viking Line CEO Jan Hanses told Helsinki District Court last week that the MS Gabriella's captain would not have been able to prevent the accident and the firm was therefore not liable to pay damages to the seaside pool firm.
