Court rejects company’s claim over military island facilities

A company that owns the former military islands of Ranki and Kirkonmaa in Kotka has lost its legal dispute with the state, Yle reports. The Eastern Finland Court of Appeal refused to grant permission for further proceedings.

Kotkan saaret had sought more than 450,000 euros from the state-owned property company Puolustuskiinteistöt for the use of piers and roads on the islands. The company must instead pay the state more than 38,000 euros in legal costs.

The state sold the former Finnish Defence Forces garrison areas to a company owned by Kotka entrepreneur Ismo Räty in 2015 for 700,000 euros. The islands were acquired for tourism use, while the Defence Forces continued to use them for exercises.

After the sale, Puolustuskiinteistöt rented land on Ranki from Kotkan saaret for an annual rent of 3,000 euros. The parties agreed that the state could use the piers and roads on both Ranki and Kirkonmaa, but said that the costs of using them would be agreed separately.

No agreement was reached because the parties disagreed over the amount of compensation. Kotkan saaret filed a lawsuit in December 2024, arguing that the Defence Forces’ activities had hindered its tourism and rental operations.

The company had set monthly charges of 2,800 euros for using Ranki’s pier and roads and 750 euros for using Kirkonmaa’s pier during 2015 to 2024. It also sought nearly 10,000 euros in legal costs.

The Kymenlaakso District Court rejected the claim in March 2026. It found that harbour fees could not be applied because the company did not maintain a harbour or provide harbour services without separate compensation. The court also said the company had not demonstrated any possible losses caused by the use of the piers.

Kirkonmaa’s coastal battalion was disbanded in 2013. Conscription training ended on Ranki in 2006, after which the island became a Defence Forces training area.