Last month, Finland seized the Eagle S tanker while it was carrying Russian oil on suspicion that it had severed the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power cable and four telecommunications cables by dragging its anchor on the seabed.
On January 7, Finnish police announced that they had recovered an anchor as part of an investigation into suspected sabotage of power and telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea.
“The anchor was found along the route of the Eagle S, at the western end of the tow marks on the seabed,” the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of Finland said in a statement.
According to Finnish police, the anchor was recovered from the seabed with the help of the Finnish Border Guard and Defence Force as well as the Swedish Navy. “The anchor will contribute to the criminal investigation and is undergoing forensic analysis,” said NBI chief Risto Lohi.
Finnish lawyers representing Caravella LLC FZ, the UAE-based company that owns the Eagle S tanker, accused Finland of seizing the ship in international waters and asked for its release. However, a Finnish court rejected the request last week.
Photos taken of the Eagle S since the cable incident in the Baltic Sea show the ship missing its port anchor.
Baltic states are on high alert after a series of power cable, telecommunications and gas pipeline failures since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in 2022. The NATO military alliance has said it will increase its presence in the region.
