Investigation Launched Into Sabotage of Undersea Power Cable Linking Finland and Estonia
Finnish authorities are currently investigating an oil tanker, the Eagle S, which recently departed from a Russian port, in connection with the destruction of a power cable linking Finland and Estonia. This cable, known as Estlink 2, was damaged on Christmas Day, just one day prior to the investigation announcement. The incident has raised alarm as it follows a series of recent disruptions to telecommunication cables in the Baltic Sea region.
According to Robin Lardot of Finland's National Bureau of Investigation, a probe into aggravated sabotage has been initiated concerning the Eagle S, which is registered under the Cook Islands flag. Sami Rakshit from the Finnish Customs emphasized that the vessel is suspected to be part of a 'shadow fleet' engaged in transferring embargoed Russian crude and oil products. The tanker is reportedly on its way to Port Said, Egypt, and had transported unleaded petrol from a Russian port.
Authorities have expressed serious concerns over the risks posed by these shadow vessels. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and President Alexander Stubb discussed the matter publicly, highlighting the need to thoroughly eliminate any risks associated with the Russian shadow fleet.
Initial investigations by the Finnish Border Guard suggest that the anchor of the Eagle S may have caused the damage to the undersea cable. Markku Hassinen from the Border Guard noted that their patrol vessel did not find the anchor, leading investigators to suspect something unusual occurred.
The tensions around the Baltic region have escalated since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This has been further compounded by the mysterious ruptures of the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022, which have yet to be fully explained. In the past months, several other underwater infrastructure interruptions have occurred, notably an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, which was also damaged by an anchor from a Chinese vessel.
Similar to prior incidents, on November 17, the Arelion telecommunications cable that connects the Swedish island of Gotland to Lithuania was disabled. On the following day, the CLion 1 submarine cable linking Helsinki with Rostock, Germany, was cut. In this case, focus was drawn to the Chinese-flagged vessel Yi Peng 3 that was present in the vicinity during the incidents. Sweden subsequently reported that China's authorities denied a request for an investigation into the vessel, after which it had departed the area.
Officials from various European nations suspect that multiple incidents of cable damage may be connected to acts of sabotage linked to Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine, a claim the Kremlin has described as 'absurd and laughable.' As the investigation develops, the implications for regional security and maritime operations remain a key concern for Finland, Estonia, and their European allies.
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