Finland Seizes Russian Oil Tanker Suspected of Sabotaging Baltic Sea Infrastructure

 

Finnish authorities have seized a ship carrying Russian oil in the Baltic Sea, suspecting it was responsible for a significant disruption of undersea infrastructure. The vessel, identified as the Eagle S, was boarded by the Finnish Coast Guard on Thursday after it was linked to a power outage in the Estlink 2 electricity cable and damage to several internet cables connecting Finland and Estonia.

The Eagle S, a Panamax tanker registered in the Cook Islands, is believed to belong to Russia's "shadow fleet" of aging tankers that operate to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil exports. Finnish authorities suspect that the ship's anchor caused the damage to the subsea cables, leading to a disruption that severely impacted the region’s energy and telecom networks.

The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has classified the incident as a possible case of sabotage. Robin Lardot, director of the NBI, confirmed that the investigation is ongoing, with authorities suspecting that the anchor dragged across the seabed, damaging key infrastructure. The Finnish Customs Service has seized the cargo of the vessel, while the Finnish government has called an emergency meeting with Estonian officials to assess the damage.

The Eagle S crossed over the Estlink 2 power cable at 10:26 GMT on Wednesday, coinciding exactly with the moment when the power outage occurred. While Finland’s electricity supply has not been affected, the outage of the 106-mile (170 km) Estlink 2 interconnector, which links Finland and Estonia, is expected to take months to repair. This outage has raised concerns about the potential for power shortages, particularly during the winter months.

Alongside the electricity outage, several internet cables were damaged, including two fibre-optic cables owned by Finnish operator Elisa, a third link managed by China’s Citic, and a fourth cable connecting Finland and Germany, owned by Cinia. These disruptions have further escalated concerns about the security of Baltic Sea infrastructure, which has been the target of numerous incidents since 2022.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna expressed concerns about the increasing frequency of damage to subsea installations in the Baltic Sea, describing the incidents as systematic attacks on vital infrastructure. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and the Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys have both called for increased protection of undersea infrastructure in the region, emphasizing the need for a coordinated response from NATO and the European Union.

The ongoing investigation is part of a broader effort by Western nations to address the growing threat to Baltic Sea infrastructure, following the Nord Stream pipeline explosions in 2022 and several other subsea incidents. Finland and Estonia continue to investigate the damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline and telecom cables, which are suspected to have been caused by ships dragging anchors.

As part of international efforts to combat Russia’s attempts to evade sanctions, twelve Western countries agreed on measures in December 2023 to target Russia's shadow fleet, seeking to disrupt its activities and deter further breaches.