A day after the C-Lion1 and BCS data cables in the Baltic Sea, connecting Finland and Germany as well as Sweden and Lithuania, were damaged, details of the incident have yet to be confirmed.
The incident is reminiscent of a similar incident in 2023 when the Balticonnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was damaged. The Hong Kong-registered container ship NewNew Polar Bear was later found to have dragged its anchor through the pipeline.
According to gGaptain, in relation to the latest incident, Danish authorities appear to have narrowed down the suspect - possibly the Chinese bulker Yi Peng 3.
The vessel was passing through the incident site at the time of the incident. AIS data shows that the Yi Peng 3 passed through the site of the cable break for about an hour on the morning of November 18.
As the Yi Peng 3 approached Danish waters, the Danish navy dispatched several vessels to monitor the vessel. Online reports indicate that a Danish pilot was brought on board on the afternoon of November 19 as the vessel continued through the Denmark Strait.
AIS data shows several Danish patrol vessels near the Yi Peng 3 and shore webcams confirm Navy vessels following behind.
The German and Finnish foreign ministers issued a joint statement expressing concern over the incident. "Such an incident immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage, and says a lot about the instability of our times," the statement said.
"A thorough investigation is underway. Our European security is threatened not only by the Russia-Ukraine conflict but also by hybrid warfare by bad actors. Protecting our common critical infrastructure is vital to the security and resilience of our societies."
The submarine cable running between Lithuania and Sweden in the Baltic Sea was severed at around 10 a.m. local time on November 17. The cable running between Germany and Finland was severed at around 3 p.m. local time on November 18. The cable runs near two Nord Stream gas pipelines that have been transporting Russian gas to Germany.
Four NATO countries — Finland, Germany, Sweden and Lithuania — have launched an initial investigation into possible sabotage. Sweden is leading the investigation because both incidents occurred in Sweden's economic zone, a Swedish defense ministry official told ABC News.
Incidents of damage to submarine cables and pipelines across Europe have increased in recent years, including in the Arctic. In 2022, Norway reported that an undersea fiber-optic cable connecting a satellite ground station on the island of Svalbard to mainland Norway had been severed. Norwegian media reported that a Russian ship had repeatedly passed over the damaged section.
A Finnish investigation into the 2023 NewNew Polar Bear incident concluded that the vessel had dropped anchor to avoid a storm and was towing through the Balticonnector pipeline. The ship was found without its anchor during its first port call after the incident.
Like the Yi Peng 3, the NewNew Polar Bear had departed from a Russian port before the incident.
