M/S Tampere joins ghost fleet in private Loviisa harbour as owner vows no more derelicts

The 1957-built M/S Tampere, once a passenger vessel on Finland’s inland waterways, now lies half-sunken and boarded-up in a privately owned harbour in Loviisa, southern Finland.

Sataman Isnäs, a remote facility 25 km east of Loviisa town centre, is privately owned and listed for sale at €795,000 excluding debt. Pentti Torvinen, the harbour’s owner since 2009, told Yle he will accept no more derelict vessels after the latest arrival.

“Not another piece of junk is coming here,” Torvinen said in a frustrated phone call to Yle.

The 69-year-old ship, whose windows were intact as recently as May 2024, now has most of its portholes smashed and patched with plywood. Rust streaks and bird droppings cover its superstructure. Finnish authorities last checked its seaworthiness in May 2024 and found no immediate risk of sinking.

M/S Tampere was towed from Valkeakoski to Isnäs in October 2025 after repeated eviction orders from inland harbours. Loviisa environmental inspector Maud Östman said the vessel poses no environmental threat unless it begins leaking oil.

“As long as no oil leaks, it is not an environmental problem,” Östman wrote in an email. She added that she had been told in autumn 2025 that the ship was intended to be renovated.

Finland’s permit and inspection authority, LVV, said Isnäs harbour does not currently hold an environmental permit because no professional scrapping or dismantling is planned. LVV ylitarkastaja Suvi Hjorth confirmed after Yle’s inquiry that M/S Tampere remains afloat and its mooring fees have been paid.

The ghost fleet at Isnäs also includes a grounded trawler, M/S Alfa, left in the water by its owner who has neither paid storage nor followed through on promised scrapping.