Finland Charges Captain & Senior Officers Of Russian Ship That Damaged Undersea Cables

Authorities in Finland said that they charged the captain and 2 senior officers of a ship with connections to Russia. Per reports, the vessel damaged undersea cables in 2024 between Finland and Estonia.

Charges of aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications were filed against the captain and first and second officers of the oil tanker Eagle S.

Their names were not revealed, and they have denied the charges, per reports.

Authorities said that the ship dragged its anchor to damage the Estlink-2 power cable and communication links between Finland and Estonia on December 25, 2024.

The Kremlin had earlier denied involvement in damaging the infrastructure that provides power and communications for Europeans.

The Eagle S is flagged in the Cook Islands, but according to Finnish customs officials and the EU’s executive commission, it is a part of Russia’s shadow fleet of fuel tankers.

These are old ships with obscure ownership which were acquired to evade sanctions amidst the war in Ukraine and operate without any insurance.

The West considers such incidents as sabotage attacks with links to Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The undersea cables and pipelines traverse one of the busiest shipping routes in Europe and link Nordic, Baltic and central European nations.

They promote trade, energy security and in a few cases, decrease dependence on Russian energy resources.

Monday’s statement alleged that the Eagle S, which left Russia’s Ust-Luga with a cargo of oil products, is suspected of cutting 5 submarine cables in the Gulf of Finland by dragging its anchor on the seabed for about 90 km.

Prosecutors said the owners of the cables had a loss of around 60 million euros in repair costs.

The disruption of electricity transmission and telecommunications cables with very high transmission capacity is also suspected to have led to risks to energy supply and telecommunications in Finland, though services could be secured by using alternative connections.

It added that the defendants consider that Finland lacks jurisdiction as the locations of the cable damages are outside Finnish territorial waters.

The damage to the Estlink 2, which can provide around half of Estonia’s electricity needs in winter, did not disrupt service, although it led to an increase in energy prices in the Baltic nations.

The cable is around 145 km long and reaches 90 m at its deepest point.

Source: Maritime Shipping News