Passenger Convicted of Attempted Sabotage for Fire on Finnish Cruise Ferry

A 29-year-old man has been sentenced to a suspended prison term for allegedly setting fire to a garbage can aboard the cruise ferry Viking Grace. At the time of the fire, the vessel was at sea with more than 1,000 passengers aboard, and the blaze could have become a serious incident if it had grown.

According to prosecutors, the suspect lit a garbage can ablaze in a closed onboard bar during a voyage in December 2024. The fire was set in the middle of the night, and was not discovered by the crew immediately; the bar was only used in the summer months and was not a space frequented by other passengers. There was little material in the can, and it burned out and extinguished itself without spreading, a stroke of luck for all on board. A deckhand later noticed a burned smell during rounds, investigated the space, and determined that there had been a fire.

Surveillance cameras captured the incident, and the footage showed the suspect bending down and using a lighter to ignite material in the can. He was arrested later that evening by members of the crew security team and questioned. He was taken ashore in the Aland Islands, and prosecutors charged him with attempted sabotage.

During the trial, he admitted that he was the person in the surveillance footage, but he denied having any memory of the incident. He said that he was aboard the ship for a Christmas party, had been drinking, and was heavily intoxicated at the time. (A security guard from the vessel confirmed that the suspect had been quite drunk when detained.)

This week, the court found him guilty of attempted sabotage and sentenced him to six months' imprisonment, plus court fees, according to Alands Radio. He reportedly told the court that he has given up alcohol.

Top image: Viking Grace (Smuliman / CC BY SA 4.0)