Rauma students cross Atlantic for rare icebreaker internships

Two students from Rauma gained rare internships aboard the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica during its voyage from Finland to Canada, Yle reports. They spent two weeks working on the crossing of the Atlantic.

Roope Häikiö, who is studying to become a watch officer, and Veera Marjakoski, who is training as a watch engineer, study maritime subjects at Winnova, a vocational college. The ship left Kotka on August 23, bound for the port of St. John in Canada, where it arrived in early September.

Nordica is a multipurpose icebreaker currently chartered to support the Canadian Coast Guard. It assists with icebreaking in Arctic regions, maritime rescue and responses to environmental damage.

Maritime internship places are limited, and students from different institutions often need placements at the same time. Winnova lecturer and master mariner Tero Virtanen said securing a place on a ship crossing the Atlantic was a valuable opportunity. The college covered the students’ flights back from Canada.

The students said they were welcomed aboard and given meaningful work. Häikiö had previously completed an internship on Nordica, which made the opportunity especially appealing. He said the two weeks passed quickly, and recalled seeing a pod of dolphins at sea after a beautiful sunrise.

Life on board meant staying in a small cabin and adapting to the crew’s routines. Between shifts, the students could use facilities including a gym, massage chairs and a swimming pool. Marjakoski said she often spent her free time in shared spaces and talked with family when phone coverage was available.

Winnova is developing training for icebreaker officers in cooperation with Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, including instruction on operating in ice.