Alfons Håkansin operatiivinen johtaja Jari Talja siirtyy kesälomien jälkeen hyvin ansaitulle eläkkeelle. Jari on toiminut yhtiön johdossa kunnioitettavat 33 vuotta, joiden aikana hän on tullut tutuksi meriklusterin toimijoiden ja sidosryhmien kanssa Alfons Håkansin edustajana.
Koko Alfons Håkansin väki toivottaa Jarille leppoisia eläkepäiviä ja kiittää häntä pitkästä ja ansiokkaasta urasta yhtiömme palveluksessa!
Jarin tehtäviä jatkavat Ilari Rainio ja Tuomas Jokela. Heidän johdollaan jatkamme vahvaa yhteistyötä asiakkaiden ja sidosryhmien kanssa.
Operations Manager Jari Talja Retires
Alfons Håkans’ Operations Manager, Jari Talja, will be retiring after the summer holidays.
Jari has served in the company’s management for an impressive 33 years, during which time he has become well-acquainted with maritime cluster operators and stakeholders as a representative of Alfons Håkans.
The entire Alfons Håkans team wishes Jari a peaceful and enjoyable retirement and thanks him for his long and distinguished career with our company!
Jari’s responsibilities will be taken over by Ilari Rainio and Tuomas Jokela. Under their leadership, we will continue our strong cooperation with customers and stakeholders.
Etsimme vakituiseen työsuhteeseen osaavaa ja kokenutta konepäällikköä satamahinaajaan. Tehtävä tarjoaa ainutlaatuisen mahdollisuuden olla osana dynaamista ja asiantuntevaa tiimiä, joka vastaa aluksen teknisestä operoinnista ja ylläpidosta.
Tehtävän kuvaus:
Konepäällikkönä vastaat aluksen konehuoneen kokonaisvaltaisesta operoinnista, mukaan lukien koneiden, järjestelmien ja laitteiden käyttö, huolto ja korjaus. Työskentelet läheisessä yhteistyössä aluksen muun miehistön kanssa varmistaaksesi sujuvan ja turvallisen toiminnan kaikissa olosuhteissa.
Odotamme sinulta:
Voimassa olevaa Konepäällikönkirjaa aluksille, joiden koneteho on alle 3000 kW (STCW III/3) tai Ylikonemestarinkirjaa (STCW III/2).
Kokemusta konepäällikön tehtävistä.
Hyviä yhteistyö- ja ongelmanratkaisutaitoja.
Kykyä toimia paineen alla ja tehdä päätöksiä itsenäisesti.
B-ajokorttia.
Tarjoamme sinulle:
Vakituisen työsuhteen.
1:1 vuorottelun, joka mahdollistaa tasapainon työ- ja yksityiselämän välillä.
Haastavan ja palkitsevan työn dynaamisessa ympäristössä.
Kilpailukykyisen palkan. Vapaa-ajan liikunta- ja kulttuuriedut.
Joustavat työajat, jotka tukevat työntekijöidemme hyvinvointia.
Jos olet etsimämme ammattitaitoinen konepäällikkö ja haluat työskennellä monipuolisessa ja haastavassa roolissa, lähetä hakemuksesi ja ansioluettelosi viimeistään 17.5.2024.
While negotiations about a propulsion retrofit for an ASD tugboat are underway, a fit-for-purpose idea comes to light: what if the propulsion solution could accommodate seasonal change – namely, eliminating the ever-present hassle provided by ice during winter operations?
Artemis, one of the longest serving Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tugboats in the Alfons Håkans fleet, needed a propulsion boost. Tuomas Raumanen, Technical Manager for Turku-based Alfons Håkans, recalls that the company was thinking about various alternatives in the autumn of 2021. The propulsion unit was 40 years old and nearing the end of its life cycle.
“We knew that a major overhaul would be costly and take a long time to perform. The alternative was getting a new propulsion unit as a retrofit,” Raumanen explains.
“We were also interested to upgrade thrusters to new model with a slipping clutch. Original propulsion units did not have a slipping clutch function and manoeuvring of the tug was sometimes demanding, especially in small harbor basins,” he adds.
Alfons Håkans, one of the leading towage and salvage companies in the Baltic Sea, asked around for offers. The company soon got into talks with Steerprop, a leading designer and manufacturer of propulsion systems for the most demanding applications and toughest conditions, who had just collaborated with the company regarding the very same ship.
“Steerprop had just modernized and upgraded the control system on Artemis and we had good relationship,” explains Raumanen.
“As a consequence, we decided to make a deal for the new propulsion unit retrofit with them.”
Dealing with ice
So far, everything was proceeding as it regularly would. At this time, however, Raumanen started thinking: could the Steerprop delivery scope be modified somehow to take care of a persistent problem that tugboats keep facing in the winter?
“The propulsion units feature nozzles that get jammed up with crushed ice during winter,” Raumanen explains, adding that, for example, most port areas are plagued with just such ice.
“The ice will get stuck in the nozzles and propulsion performance will drop dramatically.” Furthermore, emptying the ice from the nozzles is a time-consuming job that is not exactly easy to pull off.
Raumanen challenged the Steerprop design team to come up with a solution: instead of welded-in nozzles, would a more “mobile” system work? That way you could take away the nozzles in the wintertime when ice becomes an issue – and simply put them on again after winter.
Rising to the challenge
Juho Rekola, Director, Sales and Project Management, from Steerprop says that the design team immediately saw the value in the idea. “Nozzles filling with crushed ice is a potentially a very serious safety issue, not to mention the drop in performance level. We were eager to tackle this challenge,” Rekola says.
A fit-for-purpose concept begun to take shape soon. Instead of welding the nozzles in place, one could bolt them in – and remove them at your leisure. The trick, however, was that you would have to do it under water.
“I contacted local DG Diving Group who have lots of experience from demanding projects – and they were confident that they could get it done,” says Tuomas Raumanen.
Next up, the Steerprop professionals came in to install the propulsion unit, but the question remained: will the underwater operation bring the desired end result? The moment of truth finally arrived at the end of February, 2024, as it was time to remove the nozzles – as well as replace the “summertime propeller” with a “winter propeller” – in the freezing-cold water. Steerprop’s most experienced technician stood by on the pier, ready to offer assistance.
The switch would take time even under best of circumstances. “If you do this same procedure on dry dock, it’ll take 4-5 days to perform. We couldn’t know in advance, how fast things would happen under water,” Raumanen says. However, with a dry dock certain extra expenses are known: for example, reserving and getting the vessel to available drydock takes time and runs up the cost.
Propellers are replaced by divers without drydocking
Beneath the surface
Everybody was most pleasantly surprised when the diving team pulled off the job in four days. “The Steerprop technician remarked that most dry docks couldn’t move that fast,” grins Raumanen.
“And think of the conditions: for example, managing 10 mm nuts with your bare hands in Baltic Sea in February is not for everybody,” Raumanen gives credit to the diving team which numbered 2-3 divers, depending on the work phase.
Juho Rekola agrees: the divers really did the “heavy lifting” here, making it possible to pursue a wild idea to its fruition. “The collaboration in this project was outstanding throughout,” he adds.
All that hard work paid off. Raumanen reports that the feedback from Artemis, back upon the waves in March, has been only positive.
“It was great to see how well everything has been working, and the operability of the propulsion unit remains solid. This concept with dismountable nozzles means that we can use Artemis also in the hardest ice conditions during wintertime which was not possible with original thruster units.”
The tugboat will return to ‘summer mode’ in April, as the nozzles are installed back in by divers.
Solve any problem
Looking back at the entire project, Raumanen says that Steerprop – once again – gave an impressive showing with its flexibility and ability to think outside the box.
“Furthermore, when we ask, can this be done, the answer is never ‘no’,” says Raumanen.
“Instead, they say ‘let us get back to you’ and figure out the best way forward.”
The ‘nozzle on, nozzle off’ concept is now included in the retrofit scope of another Alfons Håkans vessel: tugboat Apollon will be fitted the same way, reveals Raumanen. “We’re happy to expand on a winning concept,” he adds.
Alfons Håkans was requested to assist a general cargo vessel that had run aground near the entrance channel of the Port of Roomassaare. Despite the harsh winter conditions, the refloating operation was completed safely and smoothly and the grounded vessel was delivered to a safe berth in the nearby port.
The management of the Alfons Håkans companies is changing. Joakim Håkans has left his position on the company’s board and as CEO. The company’s board consists of Julius (chairman) and Nikolas Håkans and Niko Sjöroos. The CEO is Jussi Keveri, who is also on the board of Finntugs Oy.
Joakim Håkans’ departure was part of a generational change that has been prepared for some time.
For more information, contact CEO Jussi Keveri (jussi.keveri@alfonshakans.com).
Alfons Håkans -yhtiöiden johto vaihtuu. Joakim Håkans on jättänyt paikkansa yhtiöiden hallituksessa ja toimitusjohtajana. Yhtiöiden hallituksen muodostavat Julius Håkans (puheenjohtaja) ja Nikolas Håkans sekä Niko Sjöroos. Toimitusjohtajana toimii Jussi Keveri, joka kuuluu myös Finntugs Oy:n hallitukseen.
Joakim Håkansin ero oli osa sukupolven vaihdosta, johon on osattu valmistautua jo jonkin aikaa. Lisätietoja antaa toimitusjohtaja Jussi Keveri (jussi.keveri@alfonshakans.com)
Alfons Håkansin joulutervehdys Ukrainan lapsille ja nuorille
Alfons Håkans on tukenut ukrainalaisia koko hyökkäyssodan ajan erilaisten lahjoitusten kautta. Toiminta jatkuu myös tänä jouluna, kun Alfons Håkans ja FC Inter ovat mukana Turun kaupungin koordinoimassa avustushankkeessa.
Turun Kaupunkiliikenne Oy lahjoittaa Harkovan liikelaitokselle kaksi kaupunkiliikennebussia. Bussien kyytiin pakataan Suomen Ukrainalaiset ry:n keräämää avustusmateriaalia sekä FC Interin kumppaneineen lahjoittamaa lasten- ja nuorten jalkapalloharrastuksen mahdollistavaa talviharjoitteluvälineistöä.
Kun Mika Akkanen Turun kaupungilta oli meihin yhteydessä koskien lähtevää avustusta, oli meille itsestään selvää, että haluamme olla mukana tarjoamassa apua siellä, missä sitä eniten tarvitaan , Alfons Håkansin projektipäällikkö ja FC Inter Turku ry:n puheenjohtaja Julius Håkans kommentoi.
Jalkapallovarusteiden lisäksi FC Inter ja sen yhteistyökumppani Stadium toimittivat kuljetukseen mukaan lämpimiä lasten talvivaatteita.
Tämä lahjoituskuljetus on osa Turun kaupungin jatkuvaa tukea Ukrainalle ja ystävyyskaupungillemme Harkovalle. Haluan esittää lämpimät kiitokseni Turun Kaupunkiliikenteelle ja FC Interille merkittävästä lahjoituksesta sekä Suomen Ukrainalaiset ry:lle heidän toteuttamastaan avustuskeräyksestä, Turun pormestari Minna Arve sanoo.
Alfons Håkans tugs assisted the super modern air defence destroyer into port of Turku last week.
HMS Diamond is a 152-metre-long and 8.000 tonnes warship which has travelled closer to 200.000 nautical miles since her commissioning.
In November 2022, after a mayday call from a yacht taking on water, HMS DIAMOND headed for a rescue operation in the waters outside of Isle of Wight. The crew rescued four people off the yacht in the English Channel and assisted her skipper to stop the water inflow, save the yacht and sail it back to the coast.
HMS Diamond’s motto befits her name: “honor clarissima gemma” – honour is the brightest jewel.
Olemme tänään saaneet tietoomme, että varustamomme käytössä ollut Thetis -hinaaja joka myytiin heinäkuun alussa on päätynyt Murmanskiin. Tämä asia selvisi meille Marinetraffic -portaalista, jossa kerrotaan, että alus on nyt rekisteröity Venäjälle.
Yrityksemme on siis tullut huijatuksi tässä kaupassa. Noudatamme olemassa olevia pakotteita emmekä missään tilanteessa myy mitään kalustoa suoraan tai epäsuorasti Venäjälle. Thetiksen osti meiltä hongkongilainen yritys, joka kertoi vievänsä aluksen Istanbuliin. Vasta myöhemmin meille selvisi se, että alus olikin viety Pietariin korjattavaksi, koska ostajan mukaan Istanbulissa telakka ei voinut ottaa sitä vastaan.
Aluksen päätyminen Venäjälle on tullut yllätyksenä ja järkytyksenä sekä meille että kaupan hoitaneelle meklarille, tanskalaiselle Hagland Shipbrokersille. Teimme ennen aluksen myymistä meklarin kanssa huolellisen selvityksen ostajasta ja olemme myös jälkikäteen teettäneet ulkopuolisella asiantuntijalla selvityksen ostajasta. Molemmat selvitykset tulivat siihen tulokseen, ettei kaupassa ole kytköksiä Venäjälle. Myös ostajayritys on jatkuvasti vakuuttanut meklarillemme, että alus tulee pysymään Palaun lipun alla, eikä sitä olla myymässä muualle. Emme näe, että olisimme voineet selvityksen osalta tehdä enempää. Olemme parhaillaan teettämässä laajan kartoituksen code of conduct sekä compliance -käytännöistämme.
Ostajan toiminta on vakava loukkaus sitä luottamusta kohtaan, jonka asetamme liikesuhteisiimme. Selvitämme tällä hetkellä keinoja saattaaksemme ostajan oikeudelliseen vastuuseen.
Tulli on aloittanut elokuussa esitutkinnan yhtiömme Thetis-hinaajan päätymisestä Venäjälle. Emme voi kommentoida viranomaisten prosesseja, mutta koemme tärkeäksi nyt tuoda yhtiömme näkökulman esiin tähän tapaukseen. Nyt avustamme viranomaisia asian tutkinnassa kaikin mahdollisin keinoin.
Joakim Håkans Toimitusjohtaja
Today we have learned that the vessel Thetis, which was in use by our company and was sold at the beginning of July, has ended up in Murmansk. We found out about this from the Marinetraffic portal, which states that the vessel is now registered in Russia.
Our company has thus been deceived in this transaction. We adhere to existing sanctions and under no circumstances sell any equipment directly or indirectly to Russia. Thetis was bought from us by a Hong Kong-based company that said it would take the vessel to Istanbul. Only later did it become clear to us that the vessel had instead been taken to St. Petersburg for repairs, as according to the buyer, the shipyard in Istanbul could not accommodate it.
The vessel’s arrival in Russia has come as a surprise and a shock to both us and the broker who managed the transaction, the Danish ”Hagland Shipbrokers”. We conducted a thorough due diligence investigation of the buyer with the broker before selling the vessel, and we have also subsequently commissioned an external consultant to investigate the buyer. Both investigations came to the conclusion that there were no ties to Russia in the transaction. The buyer has also consistently assured our broker that the vessel will remain under the Palau flag and is not being sold elsewhere. We don’t see what more we could have done in terms of the investigation. We are currently conducting a comprehensive review of our code of conduct and compliance practices in light of the events.
The deception by the buyer is a severe infringement of the trust we place in our business relationships. Therefore, we are exploring all legal avenues to ascertain the liability of the buyer.
The Finnish Customs authorities initiated a preliminary investigation in August regarding Thetis ending up in Russia. We can’t comment on the processes of the authorities, but we find it important to bring our company’s perspective to this case now. We are currently assisting the authorities in the investigation in every way we can.
Alfons Håkans has signed a 2-year contract with team Galiana WithSecure to become the safety partner of the young Finnish crew. The sponsorship covers most of the safety gear onboard, including both liferafts, all extinguishers, drift anchor system, personal lifelines for the crew and the Personal Locator Beacons for every crew member if a Man Overboard Situation arises.
Supported by Alfons Håkans, Galiana WithSecure will start the Ocean Globe Race on September 10th from Southampton (UK) with maximum safety of her crew guaranteed. Their departure from Helsinki takes place on the evening of June 27th.
Alfons Håkans wishes Galiana WithSecure SAFE SAILING AND FAIR WINDS for the journey and race ahead!
Assisted by four ALFONS HÅKANS tugs, the LNG floating terminal “Exemplar” is now successfully moored in port of Inkoo. Under the leadership of Gasgrid Finland, the LNG floating terminal project will secure gas supply to Finnish industry, energy production and households as well as safeguard Finland’s security of supply from winter 2023 onwards.
Exemplar is 291 meters long and 43 meters wide and stores up to 68,000 tons of liquified natural gas (LNG).
The safe and efficient harbour towage of Exemplar is an excellent example of how seamless teamwork between tug Masters and Pilots works in Finland at its best.
Alfons Håkans has signed a five-year long title sponsorship of the annual Hanko Regatta in the most southern tip of Finland. The first Hanko Regatta hosted by the local yacht club, Hangö Segelförening (HSF), took place in 1910. The very early idea of Hanko Regatta originates from the summer meetings of Helsinki and Turku based yacht owners, who came halfway to meet and race each other already in the 1870’s.
Alfons Håkans is well prepared for the increasing amount of NATO vessels visiting Helsinki in the future. Our modern tugs are ready for the safe and efficient harbour assistance and we have our floating fenders available for the visiting vessels whenever required by the client.
Finnish Border Guard´s patrol ship, Uisko, in co-operation with Alfons Håkans tugs, Joonas and Wizard, executed an exercise for environmental accident prevention in Airisto waters during the first week of October.
Primary goal for the exercise was to practice oil spill collection with seine technique and the required teamwork between the vessels. Onboard Uisko also gaining experience on loading the offshore booms and other equipment on deck, as well as lowering the booms and shaping the seine, were listed as main goals. Furthermore, during the functional exercise new MERT system was tested in operation.
According to Uisko’s master, lieutenant commander Ilkka Sahla, all set goals were reached in the exercise.
Robert Allan Limited (RAL) of Canada and Sanmar Shipyards of Turkey have long enjoyed a successful and prolific collaboration. The tugs developed by their partnership are now operating practically worldwide.
These two particular tugs, however, are somewhat different from their norm. They have been designed and built for a Finnish owner that will operate them in the sometimes bleak and cold Baltic Sea. The 31.5-metre LOA and 66tbp tugs, therefore, had to be ice class. They are very potent and versatile vessels that represent the latest in tug design development and the highest quality of construction.
“A combination of special and unique requirements makes this icebreaking tug special in our opinion,” RAL told Baird Maritime. “One of these requirements was to have good seakeeping and performance in open water and at the same time the best possible icebreaking capability.”
RAL, however, clarified that the design approach for the best open water performance and that of the best possible icebreaking capability are different and therefore contradict each other. As a result, the tug has a unique balanced design that combines good seakeeping, relatively high free-running speed in open water with substantial escort performance, and effective icebreaking capability.
“Accomplishing all these objectives efficiently was a major design challenge and was achieved through careful analysis and selection of the hull form. With the designed hull form, the tug has speed ahead of 14.5 knots with a maximum achieved speed during trials of 15 knots. The speed going astern is also very high – up to 13.9 knots. That is a very high astern speed even for a non-icebreaking ASD tug.”
The tug is designed to operate in ice up to 0.8 metres thick, and so the owner requested an extremely strong hull structure. The hull is thus designed for icebreaking with strength that is significantly above the requirements of the prescribed Finnish Swedish Ice Class 1A. The reason was to ensure safety during icebreaking operations and eliminate the possibility of structural damage and shell plate deformation.
“As per the owner’s requirement,” said RAL, “the tug has an extensive and unique fendering system. The fendering system was specially arranged to prevent damage of the fender from ice impact during icebreaking at the higher speeds of 10 to 11 knots. The cylindrical fenders also have an unusual installation with a large outboard overhang to create space between the dock or assisted vessel sides and prevent possible ice jams.”
“She is the first ice class tug built by our company,” added Sanmar Shipyards Vice President Ali Gurun. “Among other things, this project proved that we can take on complex custom shipbuilding designs for specific operational needs.”
The tug was designed to be capable of performing multiple, diverse tasks, which include escort, ship-assist, icebreaking, ice management, open sea towing, small cargo transfer on deck with 20-foot containers, assistance in salvage, and oil spill recovery.
Gurun remarked that building an ice class tug is, “a totally different experience, presenting new challenges and opportunities for change.” For RAL, the challenge lay in meeting all of the owner’s operational and technical requirements and to find the right balance between possible design solutions.
“Any icebreaking tug design can be considered unique,” the designer told Baird Maritime, “because of the local uniqueness of the geography, ice conditions, experience, and technology of operations and other factors. Each specific design brings additional experiences and lessons to learn from. Alfons Håkans is a very experienced ice class tug operator and working with them on the icebreaking tug development was a learning process that gave us valuable knowledge and experience in designing icebreaking vessels.”
The delivery of Selene was one welcome development during 2021, which Gurun said was a “very successful” year, albeit not as noteworthy as 2020.
“That one was our record-beaking year. For us, 2021 was slightly below 2020, but we expect to set a new sales record in 2022.”
Gurun also identified customers’ increasing preference for vessels with low-emission propulsion as a trend currently having an impact on shipbuilding.
“We are getting lots of orders for LNG-fuelled and battery-operated tugs as well as IMO Tier III regulation diesel-powered tugs. Orders for such vessels are significantly high, and we have responded to this by taking a strategic decision to focus our manufacture on low- and even ‘no emission’-tugs.”
Tug Helios – your first impressions and experiences so far? I have been operating the sistership Selene for some time, and since they are identical, I felt very much at home onboard Helios. During the design process a lot of attention was paid to reducing noise and vibrations and improving the insulation onboard. This has taken the operating comfort to a whole new level.
How does Helios (& Selene) differ from the older generation tugs? The crew quarters on the main deck represent new ways of thinking. The crew cabins have their own bathrooms and there is a nice sauna compartment on the lower deck. Such luxury is not that common on older tugs.
Have the new tugs and the latest technology given you new challenges? They do not require any new skills from the experienced captains, e.g. similar propulsion systems are already in use on some of our other tugs.
Special requirements in the Costa Toscana escort operation? Basically, all new builds use an escort tug when heading out for their first sea trial from Turku shipyard. This is simply good seamanship and precautionary action when navigating in the demanding waters of the Finnish archipelago. We also participated in simulator training at the Maritime Training Centre of Turku and practiced handling unexpected situations. The key goal is to create seamless communication between the persons in charge, i.e. the pilot onboard the new build and the lead captain of the tug fleet.
Smooth operation The operation was a success, and everything went according to plan – even weather conditions were mostly favourable. Costa Toscana returned to Airisto waters under her own engines after completing her successful sea trials in the northern Baltic Sea.
The members of the European Tugowners Association (ETA) assembled in Turku for its 58th Annual General Meeting. This year´s successful event was hosted by Alfons Hakans. In spite of the difficult conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, 85 participants among ETA full and associate members attended the Annual General Meeting in person, while other delegates preferred to follow the debates virtually.
The ETA Annual General Meeting voted on the change in the chairmanship of the Association, which happens every two years. After two difficult but productive years marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, Kimmo Lehto (Alfons Håkans AS) handed over the ETA baton to Vicente Boluda Ceballos (Boluda Corporacion Maritima SL), who will be the new Chairman for the next term. His previous position as Deputy Chairman has been filled by Alberto Dellepiane (Rimorchiatori Riuniti Porto di Genova). Kimmo Lehto said, “it has been an honour to serve as the Chairman of the European Tugowners Association in very challenging times caused by Covid-19. However, with challenges also comes rewards which have taught the association and its members to meet and communicate online and to organize successful virtual conferences. The members of the ETA have shown that they are able to adapt the sudden changes in their towage operations and have showed that they are resilient and a reliable part of the logistic chain of the maritime industry. Our members have also successfully continued their work towards a greener, more sustainable future despite the current restrictions caused by Covid-19. Moreover, the Association continues to improve its dialogue with the policy makers and other associations of the shipping sector with the new ways of communication that have been adopted during the pandemic. It is with great pleasure I now hand the chairmanship of the ETA over to the very capable hands of Mr. Vicente Boluda who will guide us into our next normal”.
The new combination, tug “Calypso” and the motorised detachable icebreaking bow “Saimaa” overtaking our older combination of tug “Protector” and her detachable unmotorised icebreaking bow.
Keveri family and Joakim Håkans agree to form a joint venture.
In the joint venture the complete fleet of vessels with experience and knowhow from 23 years of operations within Keveri family business Merikuriiri – Sea Courier Oy Ltd will be combined with the fleet of Alfons Håkans barges and workboats. Additionally, Sea Courier OÜ will have access to the resources of the 75-year-old marine operator, Alfons Håkans.
Keveri’s company has also operated in international waters as France, UK, Netherlands and the whole Baltic Sea Region have offered opportunities to this flexible player. Contracts in the home waters and in the international territories have included archipelago transportation, dredging & drilling and harbour construction to communities, cities, commercial harbours and energy industry.
The combined fleet of the new company includes professional heavy-duty tools from dredgers, split hopper & flat top barges to workboats and excavators etc.
“There is a strong synergy between our companies and joining forces leads to a solid win-win case. Keveri’s innovative tools and methods together with Håkans’ sea towage experience and unequalled fleet create a competitive combination within the marine construction field”, summarizes the dynamic duo, Joakim Håkans and Jussi Keveri, the future views of the new company.
Sea Courier OÜ is a medium-size harbour and fairway construction company with the flexibility of a small operator and muscles of a big company.
Myrskyävä meri tekee nöyräksi – meripelastaja Pekka Arasola on ollut mukana kymmenissä havereissa.
Pelastuspäällikkö Pekka Arasola on ollut monessa kovassa paikassa. Jokainen onnettomuus on aina ainutlaatuinen tapaus, mutta kokemus auttaa hahmottamaan olennaisia asioita (kuva Timo Jakonen/TS).
Kovassa paineessa ja armottomassa ympäristössä toimiva pelastusmiehistö on kuin orkesteri, jonka pelastuspäällikkö saa kapellimestarin tavoin soittamaan samaa säveltä.
Ei sitä koskaan tiedä mihin lähtee, sanoo pelastuspäällikkö Pekka Arasola.
Arasola, jos kukaan tietää mikä tyrskyävältä merellä voi odottaa. Neljän vuosikymmenen kokemus meripelastamisesta tuo rauhallisuutta mutta myös nöyryyttä. Vuosiin mahtuu paljon hienoja onnistumisia mutta myös synkkiä hetkiä. Surullisimmat muistot liittyvät Finn-Balticin kaatumiseen Hangon edustalla joulukuussa 1990.
– Siellä meni monta merimiestä, Arasola kertoo.
Finn-Balticin pelastustyöt kestivät pitkään. Aluksesta pelastettiin kaksi miestä, mutta kahdeksan ihmistä merimiestä menehtyi haaksirikossa (kuva Kari Klemm).
Haaksirikossa hukkui aluksen päällikkö, luotsi ja kuusi merimiestä. Alus saatiin nostettua ja se on yhä liikenteessä.
Arasola on ollut mukana noin 50 meripelastusoperaatiossa. Kuluvana vuonna on jo ollut kolme turmaa.
– Tämä on ollut ihmeellinen pelastusvuosi.
Tosin Gracesta ei lopulta tullutkaan varsinaista pelastusoperaatiota.
– Me teimme siitä avustussopimuksen, Arasola kertoo.
Poikkeusvuosia on ollut ennenkin. Kuluvaa vuotta ennen meni kuusi vuotta ilman pelastusoperaatioita. Parhaana tai pitäisikö sanoa pahimpana vuotena oli seitsemän pelastusoperaatiota ja joskus on ollut kaksi operaatiota samaan aikaan. Vahinko ei tule tunnetusti kello kaulassa.
Viking Grace joutui kovassa tuulessa merihätään viikko sitten lauantaina iltapäivällä. Jo parin tunnin päästä Alfons Håkansin hinaajat Zeus ja Kraft höyrysivät myrskyävällä merellä Turusta kohti Maarianhaminaa. Ensimmäisten joukossa paikalle kiiruhti myös Arasola. Håkansin hinaajille koottiin 15 ammattilaista ja mukana oli muun muassa kolme sukeltajaa. Henkilöstön olisi saanut liikkeelle tunnissa, mutta mukaan piti hankkia operaatiossa tarvittavaa kalustoa.
Arasola on usein lentänyt haveripaikalle helikopterilla. Kopterilla on viety myös pumppuja ja generaattoreita, kun kiire on ollut kova. Alfons Håkansilla on käytössä myös muutama erittäin nopea vene. 50 solmun vauhtia etenevällä aluksella pääsee nopeasti turmapaikalle.
Operaation onnistumisen kannalta johtajan asema on keskeinen. Hänen pitää kyetä tekemään nopeasti päätöksiä ja hänellä pitää olla kaikki langat käsissään. Tärkeää on myös luottamus, sillä viime kädessä johtajan vastuulla on huolehtia alaistensa turvallisuudesta.
– Pelastusjohtaja on kapellimestari, joka johtaa pelastusorganisaatiota, kiteyttää joulukuun alussa Alfons Håkansin varatoimitusjohtajana aloittava Jussi Keveri.
Vahinkojen minimoinnissa tärkeää on luoda nopeasti oikea tilannekuva. Paikalle pitää yleensä saada nopeasti oikeanlaista kalustoa ja myös oikeanlaisia ammattilaisia.
Arasola kertoo, että pelastustöissä tarvitaan monenlaista erityisosaaja: sukeltajia, konemestareita, putkimiehiä, hitsaajia…
Pelkkä osaaminen ei riitä, vaan pelastajien pitää kyetä myös toimimaan saumattomasti yhteen. Pelastustyö on tiimityötä, jossa on pakko luottaa kaveriin. Lisäksi pitää kyetä tekemään töitä vieraassa aluksessa usein kovassa paineessa.
– Pelastajien tulee olla henkisesti vahvoja. Ei saa ajatella, että töissä olisi vaarallista, Arasola sanoo.
Tämä ei tarkoita, että operaatiossa otettaisiin turhia riskejä.
Pelastuspäälliköllä pitää olla myös hyvä psykologinen silmä. Joskus haverialuksen miehistö kapteenia myöten voi olla toimintakyvytön. Kapteenilla on vastuu ihmisistä ja aluksesta. Haverin myötä kapteeni voi joutua median rumputuleen, johon joskus myös varustamo ja viranomaiset yhtyvät. Siinä tilanteessa ihminen on todella yksin, ja joskus taakka voi olla liian raskas kantaa.
– Kipparilla on valtavat paineet, Arasola sanoo.
Jotkut varustamot vaihtavatkin kapteenia vahingon jälkeen.
Amorellan pelastusoperaation kohdalla meripelastajista tehtiin melkein merirosvoja.
– Ei se mukavalta tunnu, kun yrittää pelastaa toisen omaisuutta ja saa negatiivista palautetta, Arasola sanoo diplomaattisesti.
Kärhämä sai alkunsa, kun Viking Line päätti olla antamatta vakuutta Amorellan kyydissä olleesta omaisuudesta meripelastajalle. Keverin mukaan yksikään varustamo ei ollut toiminut ennen niin. Keveri ei tiedä, että vastaavaa olisi tapahtunut koskaan Euroopassa.
– Jos ajat metsään ja hinausfirma hinaa autosi talliinsa. Et sinä autoa ennen saa, kun olet maksanut laskun tai varmistanut, että sinulla on maksukykyä, Keveri sanoo.
Keveri muistuttaa vanhasta totuudesta. Kaikki viisaus on tunnetusti maalla, kun merellä sattuu vahinko.
Osasyynä väärinkäsityksiin voi olla, että suuri yleisö ei ymmärrä kaupallisen meripelastuksen ja viranomaisten erilaisia rooleja. Ihmishenkien pelastamisesta vastaavat viranomaiset ja merellä erityisesti rajavartiolaitos.
Lisäksi meripelastusseurat ovat keskittyneet auttamaan huviveneitä.
Kaupallisen meripelastajan tehtävänä on pitää isojen laivojen karilleajojen taloudelliset vahingot mahdollisimman pieninä.
Riski operaatiosta on aina meripelastajalla. Omaisuus ei vaihda haverissa omistajaa, mutta laivan pelastajalla on oikeus saada korvaus työstään.
– Jos pelastusoperaatio epäonnistuu, niin sitten ei tule lainkaan rahaa, Arasola sanoo.
Muutaman kerran näin on käynyt Alfons Håkansillekin.
Pelastuspalkkio lasketaan pelastetun omaisuuden arvon mukaan. On kaikkien osapuolien etu, että omaisuus kärsii mahdollisimman vähän vahinkoa. Meripelastajille se tietää isompaa palkkiota, vakuutusyhtiölle pienempiä korvauksia ja omistajille pienempiä vahinkoja.
Mitä pitempään operaatio kestää, sen suuremmiksi kulut kasvavat. Myös pelastettavan omaisuuden arvo voi kärsiä, kun operaatio venyy.
– Emme me halua kenenkään omaisuutta kivennokassa pitää, Arasola sanoo.
Alfons Håkans on merkittävin meripelastusta harjoittava yritys pohjoisella Itämerellä. Itämeren etelärannalla on paljon isoja satamakaupunkeja ja siellä löytyy myös meripelastusalan yrityksiä.
Pohjoinen Itämeri on oma maailmansa. Liikennemäärät ovat pieniä ja etäisyydet suuria, talvi on ankara ja väylät ovat kivisiä ja haastavia navigoida. Ei ole suuri ihme, että kilpailu kaupallisen meripelastuksen alalla on olematonta.
Meripelastustehtävien määrään nähden kalustoon ja valmiuteen sitoutuu valtavasti pääomia. Alfons Håkans on ratkaissut asian niin, että meripelastus on vain osa yrityksen toimintaa. Leipä yhtiölle irtoaa palveluista, joita se tarjoaa satamille ja yrityksille. Yhtiöllä on noin 60 alusta.
Meripelastajat tekevät pääosin aivan tavallisia merimiehen töitä. Håkansin päätoimiala on satamahinaus.
Onnistunut operaatio vaatii myös paljon taustatyötä. Ihmiset ja kalusto pitää saada paikan päälle ja oikeat tahot pitää ajan tasalla tilanteesta. Lisäksi yrityksellä pitää olla osaamista sopimuksista ja toimintaa koskevista lainsäädännöstä. Tätä osaamista on vuosikymmenten aikana kertynyt runsaasti Håkansin toimistoon.
Jokainen pelastusoperaatio on kuitenkin aina ainutlaatuinen tapaus. Koulutuksesta ja ammattitaidosta on paljon hyötyä, mutta todelliseksi osaajaksi oppii vain tekemällä.
– Ei sitä paperista pysty oppimaan, Arasola sanoo.
Aina hinaajilla ei ole kiire (kuva Timo Jakonen/TS).
Pelastusura oli upota heti alkuunsa kreikkalaisen rahtilaivan mukana
Kreikkalainen rahtialus Diamantis upposi lopulta.
Kaikki alkoi Bergön vesillä iloisella 1920-luvulla. Alfons Håkans oli mukana pelastustöissä, kun hinaaja Hurtig pelasti Vaasan edustalla karille ajanutta alusta. Kieltolain aikana pirtuveneet käyttivät omia väyliään ja joskus salakuljettajatkin päätyivät kiven nokkaan.
Loppukesästä 1929 Alfons Håkans sai puhuttua isänsä sahayrittäjä Johannes Håkansin ostamaan 10 000 tonnin (DWT) kreikkalaisen rahtialuksen Diamantiksen hylyn. Se oli ajanut kiville Vaasan satamaan johtavan salmen suulla. Pelastusoperaatio venyi pitkäksi ja lopulta laiva upposi. Oppia tuli, mutta rahaa meni.
Vuosien varrella Alfons Håkans on pelastanut kymmeniä aluksia ja tulos on ollut paljon parempi kuin kreikkalaisen rahtilaivan kanssa. Isoin urakka oli maaliskuussa 1994 karille ajaneen Sally Albatrossin nostaminen Porkkalan edustalla.
Sally Albatross ajoi karille Porkkalan edustalla. Alus saatiin pelastettua ja se palasi liikenteeseen (kuva Tuula Heinilä).
Haasteellisia tehtäviä ovat olleet konttilalus Janra, joka ajoi vuonna 2000 joulun alla merimerkkiin Ahvenanmerellä.
Maaliskuussa 2008 kalastusalus Serena F ajoi karille Hiittisissä.
Konttilalus Phoenix J ajoi karille huhtikuussa 2012 Rauman edustalla.
Syyskuussa 2012 tankkeri Kyeema Spirit ajautui ankkuripaikalta karille Tallinnassa.
Bahaman lipun alla purjehtiva turmatankkeri Kyeema Spirit hinattiin Naantaliin torstaina (kuva Timo Jerkku).
Vuonna 2020 Viking Gracen ja Amorellan lisäksi Alfons Håkansin oli pelastamassa Latvian rannikolla hinaajalta karannutta puskuproomu Triasia.
Amorellaa hinataan Naantaliin korjaustelakalle (kuva Lennart Holmberg).
Alfons Håkans are pleased to announce the appointment of Jussi Keveri as deputy managing director. Keveri will start in his new role at Alfons Håkans in December. Before joining Alfons Håkans, Keveri has been working as a pilot in the Hamina – Kotka pilotage area since 2007.
Jussi Keveri is a 49-year old mariner and an entrepreneur in the harbour and marine construction. He was born and raised in a fisherman’s family and he started his sea-going career in different areas of the fishing industry. Keveri holds a master mariner´s and engineer’s licence.
Keveri has worked his whole career in the maritime field including towage in ports and offshore, special projects and harbour constructions and fairway maintenance. His family has owned a harbour construction company that provides services in various fairway maintenance operations since 1997.
Keveri has played an important role in the Alfons Håkans organisation in Finland for several years already. He has earlier operated as master on several Alfons Håkans tugs: Hurtig, Fram, Baus, Kraft and Zeus. Many of his former colleagues at sea and in the office are still working for the company.
Jussi Keveri will begin in his new role in December and by the end of the year he will take over the tasks of Jarkko Toivola as deputy managing director. Toivola will continue with his tasks with the new-buildings and related training, until the delivery of the tugs.
Alfons Håkans has redelivered M/S Amorella to her owners on 25th of September at 04:00 in Naantali.
M/S Amorella grounded on Sunday 20.9.2020 in the Åland archipelago and was beached by her crew for the safety of the passengers and the crew onboard. Alfons Håkans had a team of 11 professional salvors onboard the casualty and 3 tugs and 1 dive support vessel to assist the vessel off the ground and to tow the vessel to the shipyard in Naantali.
PKL Flote, a member of Alfons Håkans Group, has strengthened and modernized its fleet with a new ASD tug Altair. The latest delivery is a Robert Allan Ltd. designed Ramparts 2200 Class 50t BP ASD tug, the 8th of the series from Sanmar.
Tugboat series “Sirapinar” was chosen due to its combination of technical characteristics and high quality. Tugs compact size, good maneuverability in combination with power makes it ideal for Ventspils port where she mainly will operate. Altair has even been modified by means of ice-strengthening the hull to operate also in icy conditions.
PKL Flote, part of the Alfons Håkans Group, is a Latvian tugboat company specialized in harbor and sea towage in the ports of Ventspils and Riga. Since Altair joined the fleet PKL Flote operates with seven modern and powerful ASD tugs.
Alfons Håkans’ tug Zeus of Finland is taking part in the Vattenfall’s Kriegers Flak Offshore Wind Farm construction project. The wind farm in the Baltic Sea is expected to be in full production by the end of 2021.
Zeus of Finland is charted by Van Oord for Vattenfall. She started already in May by towing heavy lift installation vessel Svanen from Vlissingen NL to the wind farm construction area. Since then Zeus has been towing monopiles, weighing up to 800 tons, from Rostock to the offshore construction site located 15-40 kilometers off the Danish coast.
The monopile foundations, 72 in total, are towed using plugs weighing 25 and 45 tons, at the ends of the monopiles to make them airtight and floating. Once the pile is lifted from its floating position by the crane of Svanen the plugs are removed and loaded on the deck of Zeus of Finland for transport back to Rostock. These plugs will then be installed into the next monopile in the port of Rostock before it is towed out to the construction site.
Zeus continues to deliver monopiles to the Kriegers Flak Offshore Wind Farm construction site until September 2020.
Alfons Håkans has successfully refloated the barge Trias on late Sunday evening 19 January 2020. The barge was aground on protected Natura 2000 area on Latvian shore.
Estonian Raduga Shipping’s barge Trias (overall length 101 m. & breadth 19 m.) was under tow when the towline parted during poor weather on 31 December 2019. Consequently, the barge drifted aground near Ventspils, Latvia.
Preparations for salvage, led by Salvage Master Pekka Arasola, started immediately on 5 January 2020 after Alfons Håkans was contracted to salve the barge. Tugs Thor and Poseidon were quickly mobilized to the area. Yet heavy swell slowed down the process.
– Because of temperate winter, weather on Baltic Sea has been extremely windy. Since the coast area of Latvia is exposed to SW winds the salvage was demanding. Nevertheless, safe salvage carried with minimal environmental impact was our utmost priority. We thank local authorities for efficient co-operation that made this possible, Managing Director Joakim Håkans summarizes.
The barge was not damaged during the process. Neither did it cause any environmental threats. The barge is towed to Riga to be handed back to her owners.
