Suspicion of Sabotage: Finnish Authorities Seize Ship Linked to Undersea Infrastructure Damage
Finnish authorities have taken dramatic action in the Baltic Sea by seizing a ship named the Eagle S, which is suspected of causing significant undersea damage, including the outage of a vital power cable connecting Finland and Estonia. The incident has raised alarm bells among Baltic Sea nations regarding potential acts of sabotage against critical infrastructure.
The Finnish coastguard boarded the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S on Thursday and commandeered the vessel, bringing it to Finnish waters. According to Robin Lardot, director of the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, the situation is being investigated as 'grave sabotage.' Preliminary findings indicate that the ship's anchor may have broken or damaged several pieces of undersea infrastructure.
Finnish customs officials have since seized the ship's cargo, saying the Eagle S appears to belong to what is known as Russia's 'shadow fleet'—a network of aging oil tankers that have been maneuvering to evade international sanctions on Russian oil.
The damage was severe, resulting in multiple breaks in key fibre optic cables linking Finland to Estonia. While two cables owned by Finnish operator Elisa were completely severed, a third cable connecting to China’s Citic was also damaged. A fourth internet cable, which runs to Germany and is owned by Finnish group Cinia, suffered similar destruction.
The Finnish transport and communications agency Traficom has warned that repairs for the 106-mile Estlink 2 electricity interconnector could take months, raising concerns about potential power shortages throughout the winter months.
Data from MarineTraffic indicates the Eagle S crossed the Estlink 2 cable at precisely the same time the outage was recorded—1026 GMT on Wednesday. As of Thursday afternoon, the ship was stationary near the coast under the watchful eye of a Finnish patrol vessel.
The connection between the sabotage incident and the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the region is palpable. Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s foreign minister, stated that the frequency of damage to subsea installations has become so alarming that it is hard to believe these incidents are mere accidents.
Tsahkna remarked, 'Damage to submarine infrastructure has become more systematic and must be regarded as attacks against our vital structures.' This sentiment echoes the actions taken in December 2022 when Western nations came together to devise strategies aimed at disrupting Russia's shadow fleet, thereby increasing the economic cost associated with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
On the European front, Finnish President Alexander Stubb emphasized the necessity for preventive measures against risks posed by Russian-owned vessels in the Baltic. Lithuania's foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys echoed this urgency, insisting that the rising number of incidents should compel NATO and the European Union to strengthen the protection of undersea infrastructure.
This incident comes on the heels of other investigations currently underway. Authorities in Sweden are probing the recent breach of two Baltic Sea telecom cables, suspected to be acts of sabotage, and Finnish and Estonian police are following leads regarding damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline and other submarine communications infrastructures.
Reports reveal a troubling history of damage to subsea installations in the region. Notably, the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which transported Russian gas to Germany, were blown up in an unprecedented act still being investigated. With tensions escalating and the potential for further acts of sabotage looming, Baltic Sea nations find themselves on high alert, with the integrity of their undersea infrastructure increasingly at risk.
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