Finnish authorities plan to inspect the Eagle S tanker suspected of involvement in sabotaging an undersea cable in the Baltic Sea, according to Euractiv.
Sanna Sonninen, director of the country’s transport agency, claimed that the tanker was suspected of belonging to a Russian “shadow fleet” and involved in the sabotage. The inspection is scheduled for Thursday, in addition to an investigation already launched by the Finnish police.
On January 2, 2025, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom will start a control inspection. We are carrying out the inspection in a way that does not interfere with the police operations and the investigation.
The Cook Islands-flagged Eagle S is suspected of damaging the EstLink2 power cable connecting Finland and Estonia on 25 December. Seven sailors were placed under investigation on Tuesday with a ban on leaving the country.
Several similar incidents have occurred in the Baltic Sea area since the outbreak of the Ukraine war in 2022. Earlier in the autumn, on 17 and 18 November, two telecommunications cables were cut in Swedish territorial waters. The Chinese-flagged cargo ship Yi Peng 3 sailing over the cables at the time was suspected of being involved. However, it has since left the area.
The Baltic Sea is surrounded by several members of NATO, which has pledged to reinforce defences against an attack on critical infrastructure. The alliance announced an increased presence in the region after the cable rupture. Estonia has already deployed a ship to protect the EstLink1 power cable.
The European Union also announced enhanced measures to protect undersea cables through better information sharing and the use of new detection and repair technologies.
