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Finland suspects that an oil tanker that is part of a Russian shadow group has damaged an underwater power cable and three communication cables, prompting an investigation into the vessel. for malicious damage.
The Eagle S was seized and boarded by Finnish authorities on Thursday, a day after the Estlink 2 submarine power cable in the Gulf of Finland was cut.
The tanker, registered in the Cook Islands and carrying oil from Russia to Egypt according to the vessel’s vessel details, was seen passing over the line during the incident.
Finnish police said on Thursday that they believe the ship’s anchor, which they did not find on the ship, severed the cables.
“We must be able to prevent the dangers posed by the Russian shadow fleet,” said Finnish President Alexander Stubb in a post on X after a meeting with security officials on Thursday.
The aging Eagle S is part of Russia’s shadow fleet, according to people familiar with the investigation.
The shadow group is a group of old and often poorly maintained vessels used by Russia to evade international sanctions on oil exports.
The Christmas Day incident appears to be the latest in a series of pipelines and cables targeted in the Baltic Sea by foreign vessels, raising fears of deliberate attacks on key infrastructure in between. Nato countries.
Last year the Chinese container ship, Newnew Polar Bear, cut the gas pipe between Finland and Estonia but it was not stopped by the authorities as it was in international waters.
The Chinese bulk carrier, Yi Peng 3, last month transmitted two data lines between Finland and Germany and Sweden and Lithuania about the times they were cut. It stopped for a month in international waters between Denmark and Sweden.
Chinese researchers finally boarded the ship last week, with representatives from Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Finland attending as observers. But Sweden’s foreign minister criticized Beijing for not allowing Sweden’s top researcher to board or inspect the vesselwhich has now left the area.
The Eagle S case is different in that the ship voluntarily stopped in Finnish waters, according to people familiar with the investigation, leaving questions about jurisdiction. Owners of the Eagle S are sleek but it appears to be the company’s only ship in Dubai. Efforts to reach the homeowner Thursday were unsuccessful.
Both Finland and Estonia have said that the damage to Estlink 2 will not affect their electricity supply. But it raises more pressure on Estonia as the line was mainly used to send energy to the Baltic states from Finland. Energy data showed that Estonia had to import electricity from Russia to cover the deficit.
Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s foreign minister, said he would not “prevent the intentional damage to the cable.” There have been so many incidents (in the Baltic Sea) that spontaneous incidents cannot happen anymore.”
Finnish authorities remain open-minded about the motive behind the latest incident, not least because of the largely unmonitored status of the shadow fleet. But many governments in the region suspect that Russia is paying workers to cause damage.
The European Commission said on Thursday: “We commend the Finnish authorities for their swift action to board the suspected vessel. We are working with the Finnish authorities on the ongoing investigation.
“We strongly condemn any deliberate destruction of important European infrastructure. The suspected ship is part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment while funding Russia’s war effort. We will propose other measures, including sanctions, to target these vessels,” he said.
Environmentalists have issued repeated warnings about the dangers of this and other shipwrecks.
In the Mediterranean, a Russian cargo ship under US sanctions for working with the Russian military sank between Spain and Algeria on Tuesday.
Additional report by Alice Hancock
