The New York Times reported that for more than a week, the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3 has been forced to anchor in the Baltic Sea, surrounded and guarded by naval and coast guard vessels from European countries as authorities try to solve a maritime mystery.
The development comes after two optical cables near the Nord Stream gas pipeline were severed and investigators from Finland, Sweden and Lithuania are trying to determine whether the ship's crew deliberately cut the cables by dragging the ship's anchor along the seabed.
US intelligence officials assess that the cables were not deliberately cut, but European authorities said they could not rule out sabotage.
A preliminary investigation is being conducted because it is not possible to rule out the possibility of intentional sabotage of the cables, Per Engström, police chief of Sweden, said on November 27.
Denmark said it is in continuous dialogue with many countries, including China.
The Yi Peng 3 is a Chinese-flagged cargo ship. The ship, owned by Ningbo Yipeng Shipping Company, departed from the Russian Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga on November 15, according to Marine Traffic - a commercial vessel tracking company. It has since gone almost the entire length of the Baltic Sea.
The first cable connecting Lithuania and Sweden was severed on the morning of November 17. The second cable, connecting Finland and Germany, was cut on the morning of 18 November. Authorities said the incident disrupted several data transmissions but did not result in a loss of Internet access in any country.
On 19 November, a Danish Navy patrol boat followed and then intercepted the Yi Peng 3. Since then, Chinese ships have been anchored in the Kattegat Strait, which connects the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, with a Danish patrol vessel nearby.
In the week since, German coastguard vessels and warships, as well as many Danish naval vessels, have sailed to the vicinity. Most stayed for a day or two, then left and were replaced by other vessels.
On November 27, satellite images and tracking data showed the Chinese ship being monitored by a German Coast Guard ship and a Danish naval patrol ship. In the evening, two German warships also passed the Yi Peng 3.
This is not the first time a Chinese-flagged vessel has been suspected of being involved in such an incident in the Baltic Sea.
Last year, a ship called the Newnew Polar Bear dropped anchor and damaged the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia. In the incident, the authorities allowed the ship into international waters and avoided arrest, a mistake that officials said they had tried to avoid with the Yi Peng 3.
There is no doubt that if the critical infrastructure of some countries is destroyed or seriously damaged, and we have to find the culprit, there can be no situation where people simply leave the scene, said Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen after the fiber optic cables were cut this month.
Earlier this month, Chinese authorities in Beijing said they had no information about the ship but China was ready to maintain communication with relevant parties, calling for the protection of the ships normal travel rights.
