Allas seeks €3 million over Viking Line ship collision
Tuesday 3rd November 2026 on 17:16 in
Finland
Allas Sea Pool, a marine spa in Helsinki’s Katajanokka district, is seeking €3 million from Viking Line over damage caused when the company’s Gabriella ship struck a quay near the spa in January 2022, Yle reports. The case is being heard at Helsinki District Court.
The ship lost steering because of an electrical system fault as it was leaving for Stockholm on 12 January. It struck a loading quay owned by the City of Helsinki, splitting the quay, part of the shoreline structure and the spa’s sauna building down the middle.
Allas says the crew could have prevented the collision by using the emergency stop or dropping anchor. It also claims Viking Line knew about electrical faults on the ship beforehand. The spa says it has suffered about €3 million in property damage and financial losses, including lost income and the cost of building temporary saunas.
Allas’s lawyer told the court that audio evidence to be heard during the proceedings would show the captain understood a collision was imminent. The lawyer said the captain could be heard saying, “Now we’re going to hit. Nothing can be done. Damn.”
Viking Line denies negligence and says the electrical failure was unexpected and the ship could no longer be stopped. The company says Gabriella met safety requirements and its electrical system had been approved by authorities. It is asking the court to dismiss the claim or, alternatively, reduce any compensation.
The ship did not hit the spa itself, Viking Line’s lawyer said, but a loading quay beside it. The company also argued that Allas had contributed to the situation by building a marine spa in the harbour basin.
No one was injured. The spa was closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, so there were no customers present. Allas says the collision caused it to lose about €3 million; Viking Line considers the claimed losses exaggerated. The court proceedings are scheduled to continue until the end of November.
Allas says it receives about 800,000 visitors a year. Its lease ends in 2030, and it plans to demolish its current buildings and significantly expand the spa.