Regarding the Balticconnector gas pipeline , sharing at a joint press conference with Estonian counterpart Kristen Michal in Helsinki last week, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo affirmed: "I am very happy that China and the Chinese government have cooperated." cooperation, but we cannot make any conclusions before the investigation results are available, but I promise that when we have the results of the investigation, we will announce them all."
Recently, China sent Finland and Estonia the results of an internal investigation related to the Chinese-owned ship suspected of destroying the Balticconnector pipeline last October. China said the cargo ship NewNew Polar Bear accidentally damaged the gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia due to a storm.
Finnish authorities are leading the overall investigation into the Balticconnector gas pipeline case , focusing on the container ship NewNew Polar Bear, then flying the flag of Hong Kong (China). The ship's owner is mainland China's NewNew Shipping Line.
China's report that the NewNew Polar Bear ship accidentally damaged the Balticconnector gas pipeline has led to heated debate in the Baltic Sea countries, according to SCMP.
Previously, investigators in the Baltic also believed that the NewNew Polar Bear ship pulled a 6,000kg anchor on the seabed, cutting off the Balticconnector pipeline and fiber optic cables. Investigators found the anchor a few meters from the scene.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told public broadcaster ERR last week: "Personally, I find it very difficult to understand why for such a long time the captain of a ship could not realize The ship's anchor was dragged on the seabed. However, it is up to the prosecutor's office to complete the investigation."
Repairs to the Balticconnector pipeline were completed in April this year at a cost of $38.3 million. However, Minister Pevkur said that it is unlikely that China will compensate. "When China still asserts that this was an accident, China will likely maintain its stance of not compensating," he said.
Balticconnector is a 77 km long gas pipeline connecting two members of both the European Union and NATO. Along with two telecommunications cable lines, this gas pipeline in Batlic was damaged on the night of October 7 to the early morning of October 8, 2023.
Finland's Minister of European Affairs Anders Adlercreutz said: "I'm not a captain, but I think it would be easy to tell if the boat was dragging its anchor hundreds of kilometers away. Everything shows this." It was an intentional act, but so far no one has admitted it," Minister Adlercreutz told Politico in December 2023.
