Finland stops Russia-linked ship amid probe into damaged undersea power cable
26 December 2024, 17:54
The Eagle S is flagged in the Cook Islands but was described by Finnish customs officials as a suspected part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.
Finnish authorities have detained a Russia-linked ship as they investigate whether it damaged a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables, according to police and news media reports.
In the latest incident involving disruption of key infrastructure, Finnish police and border guards boarded the Eagle S at just past midnight on Thursday and took over the command bridge, Helsinki Police Chief Jari Liukku said at a news conference.
The vessel was intercepted in Finland’s exclusive economic zone and taken to Finnish territorial waters, police said.
The Eagle S is flagged in the Cook Islands but was described by Finnish customs officials as a suspected part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of fuel tankers, Yle television reported.
The fleet is made up of ageing vessels with obscure ownership, acquired to evade western sanctions over the war against Ukraine and operating without western-regulated insurance.
The Eagle S’s anchor is suspected of causing damage to the cable, Yle reported, relying on police statements.
The Estlink-2 power cable, which takes electricity from Finland to Estonia across the Baltic Sea, went down just after noon on Wednesday.
The incident follows damage to two data cables and the Nord Stream gas pipelines, both of which were termed sabotage.
The Estonian government is holding a meeting on the issue on Thursday, Prime Minister Kristen Michal said on X.
In close touch with @PetteriOrpo and @KristenMichalPM on the damage of EstLink 2. Latvia is ready to provide the necessary support. We continue to coordinate to ensure security in the Baltic Sea. Our Armed Forces have strengthened surveillance and are monitoring the situation.1/2
— Evika Siliņa 🇱🇻🇺🇦 (@EvikaSilina) December 26, 2024
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said she was in close touch with Ms Michal and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.
“Our armed forces have strengthened surveillance and are monitoring the situation,” she said on X.
“The Baltic states currently have sufficient energy production capacity, although we are challenged by the Baltic Sea cable incidents.”
Two data cables — one running between Finland and Germany and the other between Lithuania and Sweden — were severed in November.
Germany’s defence minister said officials assumed the incident was “sabotage” but did not provide evidence or say who might have been responsible.
The remark came during a speech in which he discussed hybrid warfare threats from Russia.
The Nord Stream pipelines that once took natural gas from Russia to Germany were damaged by underwater explosions in September 2022. Authorities have said the cause was sabotage and launched criminal investigations.
Estonian network operator Elering said there is enough spare capacity to meet power needs on the Estonian side, public broadcaster ERR said on its website.
