The construction company from Pirkanmaa’s ship trip got an extra charge when the partygoers got the idea to throw the ship’s furniture overboard into the sea and videotape the incident.
A video circulating on the Internet shows how, among other things, the CEO of the company grabs a table and throws it over the stern of the Baltic Princess into the sea. Several pieces of different chairs follow. When the furniture runs out on the terrace of the cabin, more is fetched from inside.
The Finnish media outlets report that the 25-year-old manager Otto Kranni, of the construction company Pimura Oy together with his party was involved in at least three incidents including inappropriate behavior at the ship’s bar, urinating in the sauna and throwing overboard a table and several chairs from their stateroom.
The manager filmed the incident and then posted it on his TikTok account, which then spread on social media over the weekend. He later deleted the videos after coming under scrutiny for his actions by the community which condemned the barbaric behavior. However, the video was downloaded by the user Fenn J. Müller and posted again on Twitter, before the manager deleted it.
Tallink Silja, the company which operates the vessel said is considering filing criminal charges against the construction company.
“We have not yet filed a criminal complaint, but we will review this incident during the week. However this is certainly an environmental crime,” said Marika Nöjd, Communications Manager at Tallink Silja.
“We are shocked by the incident, especially by the littering of the Baltic Sea where we hope that even cigarette butts will not end up in the seas. Also the damage to the ship’s property. And of course, the incident could have ended with far greater consequences. The furniture could have hit someone on the lower decks” Nöjd said.
According to Tallink Silja, the video was shot on the Baltic Princess ship the weekend before Independence Day. The incident was already noticed on the ship.
- They have had to pay for the furniture thrown into the sea already there, and an additional bill has followed, says communications manager Marika Nöjd from Tallink Silja.
According to Nöjd, the case has been reviewed on the ship and, according to his estimation, the purchase price of the furniture has come to be paid.
- Of course, the price of furniture on a ship is different than, for example, in Ikea. These are all fire-safe and the price tag is a bit more expensive, he says.
Nöjd does not specify more precise amounts.
Many risks
The cabin from which the furniture in the video departs is a suite located at the back of the ship. Above it is a sundeck open to all.
- The suite is in such a place that you can see the terrace directly from the upper deck. Probably, someone, there has noticed that something is being thrown into the sea.
Nöjd points out that such activity is “absolutely prohibited” and has its risks. When falling, large items can damage the ship by hitting different parts of it.
- Or in the worst case, it would fly to the other deck and face the passenger, he says.
In addition, the operation litters the already sensitive Baltic Sea and can cause dangerous situations for smaller ships.
Rare but not unusual
According to Nöjd, throwing things into the sea is fortunately relatively rare.
- Over the past few years, a single chair, table or shopping cart has gone. The perpetrators have mostly been caught, he says.
In addition to the invoice, further steps can be followed. In the case in question, they have not yet been decided. According to Nöjd, it may take several weeks for the matter to be reviewed and a decision made, whether those who damaged the ship’s property, for example, will be banned from entering the ship.
Typically, the more important the item is, the bigger the penalty. Damage to the ship’s safety equipment, such as lifebuoys, will result in more severe consequences.
However, it seems that by throwing the furniture into the sea, the manager has pretty much thrown his business overboard. Reports from Finland say that now no one wants to do business with his company. In an attempt to make a public apology, or explain his actions, and save his business Otto Kranni appeared on a Finish TV channel, saying that he regrets that a “big deal” had arisen over the matter.
“Tomorrow, let’s go to the construction site, and we’ll laugh about things that have been done,” Kranni said.
However, the awkward explanation didn’t seem funny to the public, and his joking about the ship’s party was not welcomed by the wider audience.
A day after his appearance Kranni visited the Valavuori Live TV again. The man said that he lost his livelihood because of what happened. The contractor of the construction company in question blew the whistle to stop the construction work due to the incident.
“The business looks very difficult at the moment,” Kranni said on Monday evening’s Valavuori Live program.
Kranni stressed that he was sorry and ashamed of the mess caused by him and his party The man humbly apologized for what had happened and said that he had learned his lesson.