Winds blowing at 25 meters per second on the evening of April 8 buried the north pier of western Estonia's Port of Kuivastu under piles of ridged ice reaching six to seven meters in height.
Ice has never forced its way on to the Kuivastu port’s pier in such a manner, Valdur Häng, harbormaster at the port told Meie Maa. "Years ago ice once reached the port surveyor’s building but did not cause any major damage," he explained.
During the storm the ice blocks bent a lamp post and buried an electric switchboard, said Häng, adding that it is quite hard to determine financial damage or the extent of overall destruction before the ice has melted. "We cannot even push it away as [the pile] reaches the bottom of the sea. There just isn’t any room. When the winds turn and the ice starts sinking we will get the opportunity to start clearing," Häng said.
The accumulated ice blocks do not disturb the ferry route between mainland and the West Estonian island Saaremaa, as the southern quay is mostly ice free.
Ingrid Teesalu
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