Working Conditions Aboard the Tiiu

On the evening of July 28, 2017, at approximately 6:30 PM, the ferry 'Tiiu' experienced a grounding incident while navigating from Rohuküla to Heltermaa, situated between the Estonian mainland and Hiumaa Island in the Baltic Sea. The vessel, which was on autopilot, veered off course after turning into the Rukkirahu channel. The duty officer attempted to correct the course using the automatic steering, but his efforts were initially unsuccessful. After several attempts to disengage the autopilot, he finally managed to switch it off, although the ferry had already drifted out of the fairway and struck the seabed, causing it to list significantly momentarily before regaining stability. Following the first impact, the ferry again touched the bottom, leading to a sense of panic among passengers. The ship's captain, alerted by the unusual motion, quickly joined the bridge just in time to witness the officer's struggle with the autopilot. Ultimately, they were able to redirect the vessel back toward the safe navigation route without further incidents. The 'Tiiu' returned to Rohuküla for immediate inspections, where preliminary assessments suggested a potential technical malfunction in the vessel's control system. To address hull damages caused by the grounding, the ferry was scheduled to undergo dry docking in early August. On August 7, at 8:45 PM, the 'Tiiu' departed for the Turku Repair Yard Ltd. in Naantali, reaching the destination at 9 PM the following day. The repairs, projected to take at least 1.5 months, included thorough checks of the hull. In the meantime, operator TS Laevad deployed the ferry 'Hiiumaa' (IMO: 9481805) on the Rohuküla-Heltermaa route, along with the 'Leiger' (IMO: 9762675), to accommodate passengers until the 'Tiiu’s' return. The 'Hiiumaa' made its first voyage on August 2 at 1 PM. Repairs on the 'Tiiu' were successfully finalized by September 5, when it departed the repair yard at 5 PM, with an estimated arrival back at Rohuküla planned for September 6 at 9:45 AM. For more details, follow the Estonian report with motion graphics at http://www.postimees.ee/4197145/postimehe-rekonstruktsioon-tiiu-pauguga-loppenud-teekond.