Russia-Linked Ship Held in Cable Sabotage Case Released
Finnish police said on Monday they had lifted the seizure of a ship which had been held on suspicion of sabotaging an undersea telecoms cable running from Helsinki to Estonia across the Gulf of Finland, although the investigation continues.The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and NATO has boosted its military presence with frigates, aircraft and naval drones.Finland seized the Fitburg cargo ship on December 31 while en route from Russia to Israel…
Finland Advances Cable Breach Investigation with Arrests
Finnish police said on Friday they had made progress in a criminal investigation into damage caused to an undersea telecommunications cable owned by operator Elisa.Police seized the cargo vessel "Fitburg" on Wednesday while it was en route from Russia to Israel on suspicion that it had sabotaged the telecoms cable running across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki to Estonia.Investigators said on Thursday they had arrested two of the 14 crew members, imposed a travel ban on two others and had begun questioning them.
Subsea Sabotage in the Baltic Sea - a Timeline for Perspective
A Finnish court today denied a request for the release of an oil tanker suspected by police of damaging an undersea power line and four telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea last week. The incident was one of several since 2022 in which underwater critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea has suffered suspicious damage. Baltic Sea nations are on high alert and NATO has said it will boost its presence in the Baltic Sea.The following is a timeline of major 'incidents' since September 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.SEPT 2022: NORD STREAM BLASTSNord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2…
Drag Marks Found on Baltic Seabed After Finland-Estonia Interconnector Damage
Finnish police said on Sunday they had found tracks that drag on for dozens of kilometres along the bottom of the Baltic Sea where a tanker carrying Russian oil is suspected of breaking a power line and four telecoms cables with its anchor.The Cook Islands-registered Eagle S was boarded by Finnish police and coast guard officials on Thursday and sailed into Finnish waters where the crew of the impounded tanker is being questioned.Baltic Sea nations have been on high alert after a string of outages of power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Estonia Launches Navy to Protect Baltic Sea Power Link After Baltic Sea Outages
Estonia's armed forces have launched a naval operation to protect the Estlink 1 undersea power cable in the Baltic Sea in response to the damage this week of a parallel electricity line, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Friday.Finland on Thursday seized a ship carrying Russian oil on suspicion the vessel caused an outage of the Estlink 2 undersea power cable which, like Estlink 1, connects Finland and Estonia, and that it also damaged four internet lines.Baltic Sea nations are on high alert for acts of sabotage following a string of outages of power cables, telecom links and gas pipelin
Finland Boards Vessel Suspected of Cutting Subsea Cables
Finnish authorities said they boarded and took control of an oil tanker travelling from Russia on December 26, 2024, on suspicion it caused the outage of an undersea power cable and three internet lines connecting Finland and Estonia a day earlier.The Cook Islands-registered ship, named by authorities as the Eagle S, was boarded by a Finnish coast guard crew which took command in the Baltic Sea and sailed the vessel to Finnish waters, a coast guard official told a press conference."From our side we are investigating grave sabotage…
