Finnish authorities are investigating the possible involvement of a Russian tanker in the breakage of the Estlink 2 undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia this week, according to the Financial Times, the latest in a series of similar incidents in the region.
Finnish authorities have stopped the Eagle S tanker after the Estlink 2 power cable in the Gulf of Finland was severed on December 25. The Estlink 2 cable, which went into operation in 2014, plays a key role in supplying electricity from Finland to Estonia.
“The authorities are closely monitoring the Christmas incident and are investigating,” said Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, while the cable operator, Fingrid, said: “We are looking into many possible causes, from sabotage to technical faults, and have not ruled out any possibility.”
The Eagle S is now at the centre of the investigation, although no further details have been released, according to the Financial Times. The Russian vessel is also suspected of being involved in the incident that broke three fibre-optic data cables in the Gulf of Finland last month, the Financial Times reported.
The three cables connect Finland with Germany, Lithuania and Sweden. The Finland-Sweden cable was found to have been damaged by construction work. However, suspicions about the other two cables initially focused on a Chinese ship, the Yi Peng 3, which was passing through the area at the time of the incident.
The Yi Peng 3 then stopped in international waters and was inspected by Chinese investigators, with officials from Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Finland present.
Although there is no concrete evidence that the Yi Peng 3 or Eagle S were involved in these incidents, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius once commented that Berlin “must assume, without certain information, that the damage was caused by sabotage.”
Similarly, Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated on social media on December 26: “It is necessary to prevent risks caused by ships of Russia's 'dark fleet'.”
