The Finnish Transport Agency has initiated a three-year renovation project, which will enable opening of ten old lighthouse buildings to visitors. The renovations will make it possible to visit these unique and historical buildings without safety hazards. This year, the aim is to renovate among others the lighthouses Utö, Märket, Isokari and Tankar.
In 2014, Tankar lighthouse in the Gulf of Bothnia will be renovated. The repair work schedule has already been completed and a building permit issued. The other lighthouses in the Gulf of Finland, i.e. Valassaaret and Sälgrund will be repaired in 2015–2016.
In the Archipelago Sea and Sea of Bothnia the lighthouses Isokari, Utö, Märket, Sälskär and Säppi will be renovated. These lighthouses only require minor repair work, which can all be completed this year.
In the Gulf of Finland, the lighthouses Russarö and Porkkala will be repaired. This year Russarö lighthouse will be fully renovated and the defects hindering visitors will be repaired. The extent of possible defects of Porkkala lighthouse is not yet known, but the lighthouse will be inspected in summer 2014.
The lighthouse inspections revealed both health and occupational safety hazards. Most of the occupational safety hazards have already been remedied, but there are still safety hazards regarding for example the electrical appliances, the stairways and emergency exits. Due to these hazards, the closed lighthouses are not suitable for meetings or sightseeing in their current state.
The lighthouse repair work will be carried out during the open water season, when there is relatively easy access to the lighthouses. The repair work is highly affected by the weather, which is why the repair work schedules are longer and the costs somewhat higher than for corresponding work carried out on land.
Every year the Finnish Transport Agency repairs lighthouses and other aids to navigation which are important to mariners. The Finnish Transport Agency has reserved funding of 4,000 euros for 2014-2016 to renovate the lighthouse facilities and make them available to visitors.
What are lighthouses?
Lighthouses are fixed aids to navigation equipped with lights. The lighthouses are situated on the coast at a channel entrance or at open sea far from any shipping lanes. The importance of lighthouses has diminished due to modern navigational aids, but the purpose of the outermost lighthouses is still to serve as the first outpost for vessels approaching from the open sea. In addition to traditional lighthouses, there are also bottom-based lighthouses, which are fixed to the seabed.
The lighthouses can still only be visited in small groups, and the services are provided by a designated local service provider in accordance with the safety instructions.