Finnish ferry Nordlandia stuck in pack ice

Finnish ferry Nordlandia was trapped in pack ice in the Baltic Sea off the Finnish coast on its way from Helsinki to Tallin, Estonia.

A ferry carrying around 850 passengers was trapped in pack ice in the Baltic Sea off the Finnish coast on Friday morning, authorities said.

The Finnish ferry Nordlandia was on its way from Helsinki to the Estonian capital Tallinn when it became stuck in the ice at around 9:30 am local time (0730 GMT), ferry operator Eckeroe Line said in a statement.

An icebreaker and a towboat were sent to help free the ferry, which was caught eight nautical miles off Helsinki search and rescue mission coordinator Aki Salomaa from the Finnish Border Guard told AFP.

The incident delayed the ferry's three-hour journey, Eckeroe Line CEO David Lindstroem told AFP, but the passengers were not in danger and were expected to arrive in Tallinn later in the day.

- The exceptionally harsh early winter is one reason (for the ferry getting stuck) - Lindstroem said.

''Another unfavourable factor is the direction of the wind,'' he said, explaining that a strong wind from the north would help push out to sea the masses of ice that had collected near the shore.

Newer, larger ferries were able to operate from Helsinki despite the ice, he said, adding that the Nordlandia was built in 1981.

The Nordlandia managed to make progress through the ice several times during the day before getting stuck again, Lindstroem said, and it was likely it would need the icebreaker's help to complete its journey.

Passengers were receiving regular updates on the situation, Lindstroem said, adding that the atmosphere onboard was ''downright good''.

The Nordlandia is expected to resume a normal service from Helsinki at 9:00 am on Saturday.

Finland has experienced unusually cold weather this winter -- the temperature in Helsinki on Friday afternoon dropped to minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit).