Finnbirch was built at Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea and delivered to her owners Stena RoRo on 2 February 1978. In 1988 the ship was sold to FinnishRettig, and in 1995 to Bore Line. In 1999, Strömma Turism & Sjöfart [sv] in Stockholm acquired the ship and kept it until it foundered. Lindholm Shipping, Strömma Turism & Sjöfart AB was the last owner of Finnbirch and her sister ship Finnforest. Both vessels were in timecharter for the Finnish company Finnlines Plc at the time of the sinking.[2]
Sinking
On 1 November 2006, the ship sank on the east coast of Sweden.[3] At the time of the sinking, Finnbirch had a crew of 14,[3] of four Swedes and ten Filipinos.[3] The ship capsized in a heavy storm which also set an oil rig adrift. The crew were seen sitting on the ship's hull,[3] but the storm prevented rescue boats from reaching the scene and it was too dangerous to lower the helicopter crew onto the violently pitching hull.[4] All but two of the men were eventually rescued after jumping into the sea once the ship had capsized.[citation needed] One of the Filipino crew members died in the hospital after his rescue suit failed and a Swede drowned after being entangled in the wreck.[citation needed] The master of the ship broke several bones after falling, but survived.[citation needed] On 7 November 2006, the Merchant Marine Officers' Association criticized the rescue, stating that the helicopter had been circling overhead whilst the crew members sat on the hull waiting to be rescued.[5]
If one is going to save lives it is probably best to do so while they are still on board rather than when they are in the water.
