Eagle S could have cut more cables, says Finnish police
Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation has added a ninth member of the crew to its list of suspects
Nato has today launched Baltic Sentry, an operation designed to deter further damage to underwater infrastructure in the region, in response to recent incidents of cable damage
THE tanker thought to have cut the Estlink2 cable in the Gulf of Finland could have damaged more cables, Finnish police said.
The National Bureau of Investigation told Lloyd’s List it was possible other cables or pipes “related to our critical underwater infrastructure could have been damaged” if Eagle S (IMO: 9329760) was allowed to continue.
Head of the investigation into the incident, Risto Lohi, told Reuters the vessel was threatening to cut a second power cable, Estlink2, as well as the BatlicConnector gas pipe between Finland and Estonia when it was seized.
The NBI confirmed that another member of the ship’s crew had been added to the list of suspects, taking the total under investigation to nine. Those nine seafarers are subject to travel bans by the Finnish police.
Lohi told Reuters the priority of his investigation would be individuals who operated the ship’s anchors or assisted in its navigation.
Eagle S is not the only vessel suspected of cutting an undersea cable either. China-flagged bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 (IMO: 9224984) is thought to be behind the damage to the C-Lion data cable that runs between Germany and Finland.
Swedish minister of civil defense, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, told reporters that another cable was close to being damaged by the bulker too.
Bohlin said anchor drag tracks “probably from Yi Peng 3 had been found ‘in connection to’ the NordBalt power cable that links Finland and Sweden.
While Bohlin stopped short of calling the incident deliberate sabotage, but instead said that when an anchor is dragged for 150 km, “there is a lot of evidence to suggest you should at least notice it”, Swedish national broadcaster SVT reported.
In response to these incidents of damage to undersea cables, Nato has today launched Baltic Sentry, an operation designed to deter any further attempts by either states or non-state actors to damage underwater infrastructure.
The Swedish Armed Forces said they would contribute up to three warships and a maritime surveillance aircraft to the Nato presence in the Baltic Sea.
It is the first time Sweden has contributed an armed force to a Nato deterrence operation since it joined the alliance in March 2024.
Bohlin said it was a “statement of strength from the Swedish side, where civil and military authorities are cooperating to strengthen our common security in the Baltic Sea”.
