Finland probes Russian shadow fleet oil tanker after cable-cutting incident

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Finnish authorities are investigating an oil tanker that is part of Russia’s shadow fleet over whether it cut a power cable between Finland and Estonia.

The Eagle S was stopped by Finnish authorities after the Estlink 2 undersea power cable was disconnected in the Gulf of Finland on Wednesday. while passing over.

The aging tanker is part of Russia’s shadow fleet and is at the center of a Finnish investigation, according to people familiar with the investigation.The Eagle S is also being investigated over whether it cut three communication cables in the Gulf of Finland, the people added.

It shadow fleet A group of old and often poorly maintained vessels used by Russia to circumvent international sanctions against its oil exports.

The Christmas Day incident appears to be the latest in a series of pipelines and cables targeted by foreign vessels in the Baltic Sea, raising fears of deliberate attacks on critical infrastructure. NATO countries.

In a post published on X, Finnish Prime Minister Peteri Orpo said the authorities were investigating the incident. “The interruption of transmission will not affect the power supply of Finns,” he added.

Last year, the Chinese container ship Newnew Polar Bear cut the gas line between Finland and Estonia, but the authorities did not stop it because it was in international waters.

The Chinese freighter Yi Peng 3 passed two data cables between Finland and Germany and Sweden and Lithuania last month to break them.It stopped for a month in international waters between Denmark and Sweden.

Chinese investigators finally boarded the ship last week, with representatives from Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Finland present as observers, but Sweden’s foreign minister criticized Beijing for not allowing the Swedish chief investigator boarding or inspecting the shipwhich has now left the region.

The case of the Eagle S is different, as the ship voluntarily docked in Finnish waters, leaving no question of jurisdiction, according to people familiar with the investigation. The ownership of the Eagle S is murky, but it appears to be the only vessel owned Attempts to reach the owner on Thursday were unsuccessful.

The authorities did not find out the reason for the disconnection of the Estlink 2 cable. Estonia also said it would not affect electricity supplies.The cable is used to export electricity Finlandwhich recently brought its last nuclear power plant online in Estonia.

Finnish authorities are keeping an open mind about the latest incident, especially as dozens of poorly guarded Shadow Navy ships sail the Baltic Sea.

Environmental campaigners have repeatedly warned of the dangers of derelict ships in the region and elsewhere.

A Russian cargo ship under US sanctions for working with the Russian military sank in the Mediterranean on Tuesday between Spain and Algeria.