Finnish police said on January 12 that they had lifted the temporary detention order for cargo ship Fitburg, the ship suspected of damaging submarine telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland on New Year's Eve. Fitburg previously departed from a Russian port and was closely monitored by Helsinki authorities for many days.
According to police information, Fitburg, flying the flag of Saint Vincent and Grenadines, was on its way from St. Petersburg (Russia) to Haifa (Israel) when it was temporarily detained by Finnish authorities.
The temporary detention order was issued when the ship was suspected of anchoring along the seabed for a distance of "at least dozens of kilometers" before colliding with the telecommunications cable connecting Finland with Estonia.
After the initial legal procedures were completed, Fitburg left Finnish territorial waters at about 11 am local time on January 12. However, the Finnish National Investigation Agency affirmed that allowing the ship to leave did not mean closing the case.
In a statement, the investigating agency said it is investigating allegations related to "serious sabotage", "serious sabotage plot" and "serious interference in the telecommunications system".
Authorities emphasized that the charges may be adjusted or supplemented as the investigation process continues to clarify the developments of the matter.
After Fitburg was temporarily detained, 14 crew members of Russian, Georgian, Azerbaijani and Kazakh nationalities were questioned.
Finnish customs officials said that the goods on board included steel products on the list of Western sanctions, but did not specify whether this factor was directly related to the incident or not.
According to chief investigator Risto Lohi, a court in Helsinki on January 12 ordered the temporary detention of 1 Fitburgh captain to await trial, while some other sailors were ordered to be banned from leaving Finland. The specific number of people restricted from travel was not announced.
The incident occurred in the context of Western countries becoming increasingly vigilant about incidents related to undersea infrastructure in the Baltic region.
Since Russia launched a comprehensive military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022, Western officials and security experts have consistently considered the alleged submarine cable sabotage as part of a "future war" strategy aimed at NATO member countries.
The Gulf of Finland, where many important telecommunications cables and power pipelines are concentrated, has become a hotspot for similar incidents recently.
In December 2024, the flagship oil tanker Eagle S of the Cook Islands was also accused of anchoring and damaging 5 submarine cable lines at the seabed in this area.
Although there is no official conclusion on whether Fitburg intentionally or unintentionally broke the cable, Finnish authorities affirmed that they will continue to coordinate with international partners to clarify related legal liability.
