The Chinese ship suspected of being involved in the break of two undersea cables near the Nord Stream pipeline and anchored for several weeks off the Danish coast since November 19, left on December 21, the Swedish Coast Guard informed.
The two cables were broken on 17 and 18 November, in Swedish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea.
The main suspect in the cable break near Nord Stream is the Yi Peng 3. According to ship tracking websites, the Yi Peng 3 passed through the cables around the time of the break.
The Yi Peng 3 has been anchored in international waters in the Kattegat Strait between Sweden and Denmark since 19 November and is being monitored by vessels from relevant authorities.
Ship tracking website Vesselfinder found the Yi Peng 3 moving north out of the Kattegat Strait on December 21.
The Swedish Coast Guard also confirmed that the Chinese ship had dropped its anchor. Hanna Buhler, a duty employee of the Swedish Coast Guard, told AFP: Yi Peng 3 is reportedly heading towards Egypt and Port Said. She added that authorities will continue to monitor the ship.
On December 19, authorities from Sweden, Germany and Finland were invited to board the ship to participate in a China-led investigation.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said: "We expect that after the four countries complete the inspection, the ship will be able to reach the finish line."
On the same day, Swedish police confirmed that they boarded the Yi Peng 3 as observers. Representatives of the Chinese government are conducting an investigation on the ship and have invited the Swedish government to participate as observers, the Swedish police said, adding that they will not take any investigative measures.
The Swedish Accident Investigation Agency (SHK) also participated in the visit to the Chinese ship but noted that the ship was "locationed in international waters" where "Swedish authorities cannot exercise jurisdiction over foreign ships".
Mr. John Ahlberk - SHK Director - hopes to collect "as much information as possible". However, Ahlberk also noted that this was an investigation conducted by Chinese authorities on a Chinese ship.
In late November, Sweden asked China to cooperate in the investigation, but Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stressed that there were no "accusations" of any kind against the Yi Peng 3.
Early on November 17, the Arelion cable connecting Sweden's Gotland Islands to Lithuania was broken. The next day, the C-Lion 1 underground cable connecting Helsinki and the German port of Rostock broke off south of Sweden's Oland Island, about 700 km from Helsinki.
In September 2022, the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea transporting Russian gas to Europe ruptured in a series of explosions. The cause and perpetrator of the Nord Stream sabotage have not yet been determined.
A gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia in the Baltic Sea stopped operating in October 2023 after a Chinese cargo ship dropped its anchor and severed it.
