FINLAND’ S National Bureau of Investigation has accused the master, chief mate and second mate of a sanctioned tanker of damaging an undersea cable late last year.

Cook Islands-flagged Eagle S (IMO: 9329760) was suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 cable, which runs between Finland and Estonia, on December 25, 2024.

The tanker was seized by Finnish police and an investigation into the incident began. During the investigation, police found the vessel’s anchor on the seabed at the end of an anchor drag mark.

That investigation has now concluded, and Finnish police say the evidence collected points in the direction of those three seafarers.

Head of the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Sami Liimatainen, said the three were responsible for the “safe passage, navigation and operation of the vessel”.

“The criminal investigation has examined and assessed, among other things, the extent of their responsibility for the condition of the vessel and the degree to which they should have observed the anchor falling into the sea,” he said.

The case will now be referred to the Office of the Prosecutor General, which will make a decision on whether to charge the three seafarers or not.

This latest development comes just days after a Chinese national was convicted of damaging an undersea cable off the Taiwan coast.

Wang Liang dropped the anchor of his vessel Hongtai58 (IMO: 8357069) despite knowing the location of the cable, a Taiwan court heard, and allowed the vessel to drift.

It is the first time a Chinese national has been convicted of deliberately damaging undersea infrastructure.