The Georgia captain of the ship carrying oil that cut underwater cables in the Baltic Sea in late 2024 denied any wrongdoings, describing the incident as a maritime accident in an interview with Finnish broadcaster on August 21.
Captain Davit Vadatchkoria and the first and second officers of the Eagle S tankers will face charges in Helsinki court on August 25 for cutting power and telecommunication cables last December by dragging the ship's anchor for about 90km in the Gulf of Finland. The incident occurred as the Eagle S left a Russian oil port and headed west.
"We are innocent. This is just a maritime accident," said Davit Vadatchoria, who is still in Finland under an exit ban, to YLE.
When asked why he and his crew did not see the ship's anchor dragged under the Baltic Sea, captain Vadatchkoria noted that the ship's automatic steering system did not detect any unusual movements, vibrations or changes in direction that could trigger an alarm.
Finnish authorities said the Eagle S, registered in the Cook Islands, severed the Estlink 2 underground cable connecting Finland and Estonia and four Internet lines, causing damage to its owner of at least 60 million euros.
The captain and crew were allegedly Georgia and India citizens. They were accused of serious sabotage and serious interference.
NATO allies around the Baltic Sea have been on high alert following the incident and a series of other suspicious incidents involving power cables, telecommunications and gas pipelines since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in 2022.
The Finnish police special forces left the helicopter for the Eagle S on Christmas Day 2024 after ordering the captain to steer the ship from international waters to Finnish waters.
Recalling this incident, captain Vadatchkoria said that this was an excessive action, endangering maritime safety.
"Aggressive as if they caught some terrorist elements or something. Perhaps about 60 or 70 soldiers or police officers equipped with guns, cameras, everything" - he said.
Captain Vadatchkoria said that Finnish authorities had learned about the Eagle S dragging its anchor at sea at around 3pm the day of the incident and waited until late at night to carry out the special forces shipment campaign.
Instead of asking us to take anchor, they monitor our tracks for hours without intervening, he said.
Mr. Vadatchkoria said that he and the crew have followed all instructions throughout the campaign.
"The Turva (of the Finnish Coast Guard - PV) is equipped with weapons. Why do I have to risk my crew, ships and goods? I have no reason to try to escape," he added, noting that the ship was carrying oil, which required additional precautions.
Finnish police have not commented on the latest sharing of the Eagle S Vadatchkoria tanker captain as the case is being brought to trial.
