A Chinese ship anchored off the Danish coast suspected of being involved in a cable break near Nord Stream will likely be allowed to leave after completing an inspection by four countries.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen further informed Danish media on December 19 that representatives of four countries - China, Sweden, Germany and Finland - were present on board the Yi Peng 3.
“We expect that once the team from four countries completes the inspection, the ship will be able to move to its intended destination,” Foreign Minister Rasmussen added.
“Representatives of the Chinese authorities are conducting an investigation on board the ship and have invited the Swedish authorities to participate in an observer role,” Swedish police said on December 19.
The statement added that “the Swedish Police will not take any investigative measures on board the ship.” The Swedish Police also stressed that “the investigation that took place on board the ship on December 19 is not part of the police investigation.”
According to Swedish police, the boarding of the Yi Peng 3 was facilitated by Danish authorities and the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (SHK) was also involved.
In a separate statement, the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (SHK) noted that the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3 was "anchored in international waters" where "Swedish authorities cannot exercise jurisdiction over foreign ships".
SHK director John Ahlberk revealed that there are three investigators on board and hope to collect “as much information as possible”.
“There was some information that the cable break was related to the ship’s anchor. So it was interesting to hear the crew talk about it.”
However, Mr. Ahlberk noted, it is unclear to what extent the team of investigators allowed on board the Yi Peng 3 will be able to speak with the crew or conduct their own investigation because the investigation is being conducted by Chinese authorities on a Chinese ship.
Two cables were severed on November 17 and 18 in Swedish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea. On the morning of November 17, the Arelion cable connecting the Swedish island of Gotland to Lithuania was severed. The following day, the C-Lion 1 submarine cable connecting Helsinki and the German port of Rostock was severed south of the Swedish island of Oland, about 700 km from Helsinki.
Suspicion is now being directed at the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3 as ship tracking websites have noted that the ship passed through the cables around the time of the cable break.
The Yi Peng 3 has remained anchored in the Kattegat Strait between Sweden and Denmark since November 19. In late November, Sweden asked China to cooperate in investigating the suspected cutting of two cables near Nord Stream by the Yi Peng 3. However, at the time, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stressed that there were no “accusations” of any kind.
Tensions have been rising around the Baltic Sea since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022.
In September 2022, a series of underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream pipeline carrying Russian gas to Europe. To date, the investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines has not identified the culprit.
Also in the Baltic Sea, in October 2023, the undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down after a Chinese cargo ship pulled an underwater anchor and severed it.
