Icebreaker Cruises for 30 years in Kemi, Finland

Up to three Icebreaker cruises a day

On April 1988, the Sampo Icebreaker  departed on it´s first cruise ever. On 14th of April 2017 the Icebreaker Sampo will have 30 years behind as the Cruise Icebreaker on the northern waters of the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea.  The waters freeze in November-December, and by mid-May the Gulf will be freed from ice. During the cruise season, Sampo cruises up to three times  a day. On any of the cruises, one can see the vastness of the ice fields and open skies.  Morning cruise offers the beauty of the arctic sunrise when Blue Moment Cruise, as the name suggests, is an arena for the famous arctic blue moment of the day. The stars, moon and Northern Lights play the main role during the mysterious Aurora Cruise. During the cruise a delicious meal is served in the warm restaurant, guided tour is provided in many languanges and one of the most popular event is the icefloating.

History of the Icebreaker Sampo in short

The icebreaker Sampo operated for the Finnish Government from 1961 -1987, until the Finnish Maritime Administration had the vessel removed from the service of the State. ”The old lady,” however, was not ready to retire as she still was in good condition. The icebreakers owned by the State of Finland are known for the fact that they are exceptionally well maintained and cared for. Sampo was still in good condition and the city of Kemi in Sea Lapland decided to purchase the icebreaker  for tourism purposes.  It wanted to offer for all the visitors from far and near to come and enjoy the incredibly wonderful and unique experience that a cruise through frozen seas could offer. Part of the charm is the decor and operations  that date back to the 1960´s.

From Frozen Sea Adventures to White Night Magic and Aurora Borealis

Icebreaker Sampo is operated by Kemi Toursim Ltd. The company recently received a recognition from Regional Council of Lapland as the regional developer of the year. The council stated that Kemi Tourism Ltd. has innovately taken advantage of the globally unique feature – the sea that freezes during the winter months.  Sampo brings visitors to the largest ice fields in all of Europe. The thickness of ice in the spring-time may reach up to 75–95 cm. The Sampo’s capacity for breaking fast ice is up to 120 cm. Another unique attraction in the city is the SnowCastle, made totally from the sea water. This gigantic artwork of snow and ice consists of the SnowRestaurant, SnowHotel, SnowChapel and other parts of the castle.

Kemi Tourism Ltd. is in process of big investments and the future plans aim to develop the tourism all-year-round in Sea Lapland. The arctic summer with Midnight Sun and unique archipelago combined with the cleanest air in the world and aurora borealis is worth experiencing. SnowCastle will be also open all-year-round since 2018.

A record number of visitors in 2017

Sampo is world-famous and  one of the top tourism product in Finland. It has attracted international media and tv-crews among tourists throughout the years. Last winter  there were 16 500 cruise guests on board. This year the number of visitors will be almost 20 000. Kemi Tourism Ltd. will have a small celebration on board with the guests. People can follow the Icebreaker cruise live and in pictures and videos in Visitkemi –instagram and IcebreakerSampo Facebook page.