The crew of the “Eagle S” tanker, suspected of damaging underwater cables, threatened to cut the gas pipeline

Author:
Iryna Perepechko
Date:

The crew aboard an oil tanker suspected of severing undersea cables between Finland and Estonia in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea has threatened to cut other cables and a gas pipeline.

This was reported by Reuters, citing the head of the investigation Risto Lohi.

Finnish authorities detained the oil tanker “Eagle S”, which was carrying Russian oil, on December 26. The vessel was suspected of damaging the Finnish-Estonian “Estlink 2” power line and four telecommunications cables by dragging an anchor along the seabed for more than 100 kilometers.

When the ship was detained, the crew threatened to cut the second Estlink1 power cable and the “Balticconnector” gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia.

“There would be an almost immediate danger that other cables or pipes connected to our critical underwater infrastructure could be damaged,” Risto said.

According to him, there are currently 9 suspected crew members in the case — they have been banned from traveling. The priority suspects are those who were responsible for navigation and anchor operations on the ship.

The NATO leaders will meet in Helsinki on Tuesday, January 14, to discuss the Allianceʼs response to such threats.

What happened

On Christmas Day, on the afternoon of December 25, the “Estlink 2” submarine power cable between Finland and Estonia broke.

Two ships were passing overhead at the time of the incident. Finnish police suspect the “Eagle S”, a vessel en route from Russia to Egypt, was involved. It slowed down significantly when the cable broke. It is believed the cable broke due to an anchor the ship was dragging along the seabed.

The tanker “Eagle S” belongs to Russiaʼs shadow fleet. Spy equipment was found on it.

A lawyer representing the shipping company “Caravella”, which owns the “Eagle S”, insists that "this is a seizure" because he has not received a decision to detain and arrest the vessel in Finnish territorial waters.

Although law enforcement officials previously noted that the tanker is evidence in a criminal case.

What preceded

An undersea telecommunications cable between Finland and Germany, which runs alongside other important undersea infrastructure, including gas pipelines and power cables, was severed on November 18, 2024. A cable between Lithuania and Sweden was also reported to have been severed. Both incidents came just weeks after the United States detected increased Russian military activity around major undersea cables.

Germany immediately declared that these incidents were sabotage and a hybrid attack. The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, wrote that the crew of the Chinese bulk carrier “Yi Peng 3” is suspected of severing communication cables in the Baltic Sea.

Investigators believe the crew may have intentionally severed two important data cables while dragging the anchor along the bottom of the Baltic Sea for more than 160 kilometers.

The “Yi Peng 3” has a two-man crew: a Chinese captain and a Russian sailor. European investigations are now focused on whether the captain was recruited by Russian intelligence. Law enforcement officials say it is “extremely unlikely” that the captain did not see the dropped anchor, which slowed the ship for hours and tore cables in its path.

Swedish Minister of Civil Defense Karl-Oskar Bolin said: authorities have determined that the Chinese ship also threatened to cut the power cable connecting the Baltic countries and the Nordic countries.

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