Jerry Chung - the lawyer defending the Chinese captain who controlled the registered ship in Hong Kong (China) - accused of breaking cables in the Baltic Sea - informed on January 20 that 18 witnesses would be summoned to testify in the case.
Wan Wenguo - captain of the container ship NewNew Polar Bear - is accused of causing criminal damage to gas pipelines and submarine telecommunications cables between Finland and Estonia on October 8, 2023, according to the court's indictment.
Captain Wan Wenguo (43 years old) went to court on January 20, but lawyer Jerry Chung said that more time is needed to review the documents before making a defense. The trial was postponed to February 11.
Lawyer Jerry Chung said that 10 witnesses will testify to the allegations of damaging cables and gas pipelines, including crew members, Hong Kong (China) officials and 2 maritime experts. He added that the maximum sentence is 2 years in prison.
The indictment accuses the captain of the NewNew Polar Bear ship of reckless acts, without legitimate grounds, causing damage to other people's property.
Finnish authorities accuse the NewNew Polar Bear of cutting off the Balticconnector gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia by pulling an anchor under the sea.
Estonian police suspect the ship also damaged telecommunications cables connecting Estonia with Finland and Sweden before cutting off this pipeline.
The lawyer for the captain of the NewNew Polar Bear ship did not provide details about the damages that could be claimed and who would compensate. The lawyer also did not know about any other parties prosecuted besides the client.
Captain Wan Wenguo is also facing 2 charges of not ensuring that the ship complies with safety requirements applied to ships registered in Hong Kong (China) worldwide, according to the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea.
The lawyer pointed out that these allegations were related to the loss of an anchor on the ship and Captain Wan Wenguo did not exchange daily with the crew. With these two violations, 8 other witnesses will be summoned.
The captain of the NewNew Polar Bear ship did not request a bail at the first hearing in May 2025 and is still being detained.
Although violations did not occur in Hong Kong (China) waters, the fact that the ship was flying the Hong Kong (China) flag meant that the incident was under maritime management authority here.
Hong Kong (China) prosecutors have cooperated with the Finnish and Estonian authorities in this case.
The Baltic Sea region has been placed on high alert for sabotage after a series of cable breaks, telecommunications cable breaks and gas pipeline breaks since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in early 2022.
