Boat storage facility in Kotka faces bankruptcy, leaving commercial fisherman’s vessels stranded

A Kotka-based boat storage company, Kotka Yacht Store, is being pushed into bankruptcy by the Finnish Tax Administration over nearly €60,000 in unpaid taxes, leaving customers—including a local commercial fisherman—uncertain about the fate of their stored vessels.

Antero Halonen, a Kotka fisherman, has two decommissioned fishing boats trapped in the facility’s storage. “Right now, I don’t know what happens next,” he told Yle. His vessels, one a 16-meter, 20-ton boat designed for Baltic Sea conditions, were moved to Kotka Yacht Store after the city urged him to relocate from Kuusinen pier.

Halonen said he had recently signed a new storage contract for the coming year and already paid the agreed sum. The company’s financial troubles were not disclosed during negotiations. He now faces the challenge of finding alternative storage in Kotka, where few options exist for large vessels. “It’s a big problem for me if the boats have to be moved. There’s nowhere else to put them.”

Kotka Yacht Store has accumulated over 20 payment default records this year alone, with its largest reported debt—a €115,940 claim—filed in January by the Southeast Finland Cooperative Bank. Yle attempted to contact other boat owners affected by the situation, but none agreed to comment. The company’s representatives were also unreachable.