The ship, Fitburg, was taken under Finnish control early on Jan 1 and is now anchored in the port of Kantvik near Helsinki. The cable, owned by Finland’s Elisa, was found damaged early on Dec 31 in Estonia’s exclusive economic zone. Finnish police said the investigation covers offences including aggravated interference with telecommunications, aggravated criminal damage and attempted aggravated criminal damage.
Police said the vessel had sailed from Russia and that its anchor had been dropped, a detail investigators said echoed earlier incidents involving damage to undersea infrastructure in the region. The crew numbered 14. Authorities did not disclose the nationalities of those detained, though earlier reports said the crew included citizens of Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. The ship is registered under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and was travelling from St Petersburg to Haifa, Israel.
Investigators said they could not rule out intentional damage. “There are both similarities and differences” with previous cases, said lead investigator Risto Lohi, noting that past incidents in the Baltic Sea had also involved commercial vessels dragging anchors. Finnish customs said the ship was carrying steel subject to EU sanctions.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the timing of the incident on New Year’s Eve was “an exceptional coincidence” but cautioned against drawing premature conclusions. He said authorities must determine whether the damage resulted from deliberate action, navigational error or weather conditions.
The case comes against the backdrop of heightened security concerns in the Baltic Sea following a series of cable and pipeline disruptions since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Almost a year ago, a tanker linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet damaged multiple undersea cables between Finland and Estonia, prompting NATO to launch the Baltic Sentry mission to monitor and protect critical maritime infrastructure.
European Union states have since tightened sanctions on Russia, including measures targeting vessels linked to the shadow fleet and individuals accused of sabotage and destabilisation activities. Poland and other Baltic countries have also moved to strengthen maritime security, as NATO and regional governments warn of a sharply deteriorating security situation in the Baltic Sea following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
(tf)
Source: IAR, PAP