I am a South African living on the shores of a huge inland sea in Sweden. After 25 years I still find snow and ice absolutely and utterly fascinating and enchanting. I love watching the inland sea freeze over and people going long-distance skating on it. But most of all I love the icebreakers that free a path for the huge cement tankers going between cities in cold winters.
The small icebreakers that go past my window raise up out of the water and smash down on the ice, also rolling from side to side to clear a path. They are very noisy and the constant motion makes them not very pleasant to ride on if you suffer seasickness. The sound of them smashing through the ice is very distinctive. If it is really cold you can see the ice freezing behind the ship for which the ice is being cleared.
The larger ones in the Baltic sea use jets of hot water to work their way through the ice.
The Swedish Maritime Administration operates five icebreakers, Ale, Atle, Frej, Oden and Ymer. In 1991 Oden became the first western surface-going ship to reach the North Pole.
My friend Heli works on the ferries which travel daily between Sweden, Finland and the Baltic States. Sometimes the Baltic Sea freezes and the ferries get stuck. Even if they can still move, they make a huge noise as they travel through the sea ice.
Here are two passenger ferries that got stuck in the ice a couple of years ago. This year it has seemed more likely that the ferries are cancelled due to the brutal cold which could be a risk if they become stranded without functioning heat on board. The temperatures have been lower than usual though.
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