Finnish customs intercepted a Russian ship in the Baltic Sea. According to local authorities, this boat could be responsible for the breakdown of submarine cables between Finland and Estonia.
Finnish authorities announced Thursday, December 26, that they had intercepted and taken control of an oil tanker coming from Russia, suspected of having caused a breakdown of an underwater electrical cable. Three internet lines connecting Finland and Estonia were sabotaged the day before, Christmas Day.
According to Reutersthe vessel, registered under the flag of the Cook Islands and identified as the Eagle S, was boarded by a crew from the Finnish Coast Guard. “ We are investigating sabotage », Said Robin Lardot, director of the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, which is coordinating the investigations.
« According to our information, the anchor of the suspect vessel caused the damage “, he added. Finnish customs confirmed they had seized the tanker’s cargo. Authorities say it is part of Russia’s “ghost fleet” – a collection of aging vessels used to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil exports.
Stationary Russian ship spotted by Finland
Baltic Sea nations remain on high alert for possible acts of sabotage, following a series of outages affecting power cables, telecoms links and gas pipelines since 2022.
Repairing the 170 km (106 miles) Estlink 2 cable will take several months, which could complicate electricity supplies during the winter, local operator Fingrid said.
A Reuters analysis of maritime tracking data indicates that the tanker Eagle S Panamax crossed the Estlink 2 power cable at 5:26 a.m. local time on Wednesday, exactly when operator Fingrid reported the outage.
As of Thursday afternoon, the ship was stationary near the Finnish coast, with a Finnish patrol ship nearby, according to tracking data.
Increasingly frequent sabotage in the Baltic Sea
Damage to underwater installations in the Baltic Sea has become so frequent that it is hard to believe that it is simply the result of accidents or poor navigation, said Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna , In a press release. Chinese intelligence ships are also said to be inspecting the area.
« We must understand that damage to underwater infrastructure is becoming more systematic and must be seen as attacks on our vital structures “, he said.
On December 16, twelve Western countries announced measures to “disrupt and deter” the Russian ghost fleet in order to prevent financing of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
« We must be able to prevent the risks posed by the ships of the Russian ghost fleet », a declared Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Thursday on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said the growing number of incidents in the Baltic Sea should serve as an urgent warning to NATO and the European Union to significantly strengthen the protection of underwater infrastructure.
Source: www.numerama.com
