On Christmas Day, there was a disruption in the submarine power cable connecting Finland and Estonia. The Finnish police announced on Thursday that they are investigating the possibility of a foreign vessel being involved in the damage to the submarine cable.
Since 2022, the Baltic Sea has experienced a series of submarine cable, telecommunication link, and natural gas pipeline disruptions, potentially involving acts of national sabotage, keeping the countries in the region on high alert.
Finnish operator Fingrid stated on Thursday that following the power outage caused by the damage to the submarine cable at noon on Wednesday local time, the 658 megawatts (MW) Estlink 2 power interconnector remains offline, with only 358 MW of Estlink 1 running between Finland and Estonia.
“There are no possibilities ruled out, every stone and tree stump has been turned over, and we will see what caused it. Yes, (sabotage) is also a possibility,” a spokesperson for Fingrid told Finnish media Iltalehti.
The company mentioned that backup power capacity is available, and they anticipate that the power outage will not directly impact consumers and businesses’ electricity supply.
The Finnish police stated in a press release that they are collaborating with the Border Guard and other authorities to investigate the chain of events related to the incident.
Authorities mentioned that investigators are looking into the potential role of a foreign vessel, but did not disclose the vessel’s name.
The Maritime Executive reported that future investigation targets could include the Chinese container ship “Xin Xin Tian 2” and the oil tanker “Eagle S” flying the flag of the Cook Islands, both vessels were in the vicinity at the time of the cable disruption.
At the time, “Xin Xin Tian 2” was in the area, but its AIS track did not indicate any signs of slowing down or maneuvering near the cable break. As of Wednesday night, the Chinese vessel did not alter its course or speed and continued to sail in the Baltic Sea.
Eagle S’s last port of call was Ust-Luga in Russia. AIS ship data showed that it slowed down on the marine chart cable within the relevant time frame. The oil tanker then circled around, departed, and anchored in Finnish waters. The Finnish Coast Guard patrol vessel Turva also joined the sail of this vessel, indicating that Eagle S may have been intercepted. Open-source intelligence analysts pointed out that Turva was also involved in the response to the “Yi Peng 3” incident in November.
Meanwhile, Swedish authorities are investigating the incidents where two telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged last month. China’s vessel “Yi Peng 3” is suspected to have been involved in the cutting of the two telecommunications cables connecting Sweden and Denmark. According to tracking website data, the vessel sailed through the area where the cables were cut.
Swedish police are currently investigating this case. Swedish authorities stated on Monday that the Chinese government rejected the Swedish prosecutor’s request to investigate the vessel and stated that the vessel has left the area.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius believes that these incidents are deliberate acts of sabotage.
Last year, the Baltic Sea saw damages to the natural gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia, as well as multiple telecommunication cables. Finnish police are continuing their investigations. Authorities suggested that the damage to the cables was most likely caused by a vessel dragging its anchor.
In 2022, the Nord Stream gas pipeline between Russia and Germany in the same sea area was destroyed by an explosion, and Germany is still investigating the case.