KWH supports a new environment service vessel for the Gulf of Bothnia
The KWH Group is contributing €5,000 towards the construction costs of a new service vessel for the Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association. The Association is an environmental organisation that promotes the well-being of waterways and sustainable water transportation.
The new service vessel plays an important role in preventing eutrophication and littering in the Gulf of Bothnia. At the same time, it improves waste management in the Gulf of Bothnia area. The vessel maintains the region’s network of recreation harbours and transports boat toilet waste, garbage, and wood loads, among other things. It also assists in scrap collection organised in cooperation with the local waste management company.
The association maintains nearly 30 water recreation sites with dry toilets and campfire sites in the Gulf of Bothnia between Maalahti and Kokkola. The new service vessel regularly visits the recreation sites to maintain them. The vessel can also assist in oil spill response and rescue operations.
– For the KWH Group, it is important to make a difference in our own local area. We also want to inspire other companies to get involved and help keep our archipelago clean, says CFO Carl-Magnus Tidström.
Keep the Archipelago Clean Association was founded already in 1969 and has been working ever since to keep our waterways clean, both at se and on lakes. In addition to environmental maintenance work carried out by service vessels, the association conducts environmental education and participates in a wide range of environmental projects.
The new service vessel is being built in Kokkola. It was first launched in October and will start operating in spring 2026. It will replace the M/S Roope-Botnia, which has been in service since the 1990s. The project is mainly funded by ELY Ostrobothia (Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment) from the EU Rural Development Fund, but local companies and foundations, such as LähiTapiola Pohjanmaa, the Weisell Foundation, and the KWH Group, have also contributed to the costs.
The total budget of the vessel is approximately €1.45 million.
