HIGH WINDS KEEP VESSELS TRAPPED IN BALTIC ICE

  Strong south-easterly winds were
  keeping many vessels trapped in the ice off the Finnish and
  Swedish coasts in one of the worst icy periods in the Baltic
  for many years, the Finnish Board of Navigation said.
      In Finland and Sweden up to 50 vessels were reported to be
  stuck in the ice, and even the largest of the assisting
  icebreakers were having difficulties in breaking through to the
  stranded ships, coastguard officials said.
      However, icy conditions in the southern Baltic at the
  Soviet oil ports of Ventspils and Klaipeda had eased, they said.
      Weather officials in neighbouring Sweden said the icy
  conditions in the Baltic were the worst for 30 years, with
  ships fighting a losing battle to keep moving.
      In the coastal stretches of the Gulf of Bothnia, which
  divides Finland and Sweden, the ice is up to one metre thick,
  with drifts and currents packing it into almost impenetrable
  walls three metres high, Swedish coastguard officials said.
      Weather forecasts say winds may ease during the weekend but
  a further drop in temperature could bring shipping to a
  standstill, the officials said.
  

