Finland inspects Russian shadow oil tanker after cable failure

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Finnish authorities are investigating an oil tanker that is part of a Russian shadow fleet for cutting power lines between Finland and Estonia.

The Eagle S was grounded by Finnish authorities after the Eastlink 2 submarine power cable in the Gulf of Finland was cut on Wednesday. The Cook Islands-registered tanker, which was carrying oil from Russia to Egypt, was seen passing the cable when the accident occurred.

The aging tanker is part of Russia’s shadow fleet and is the focus of Finland’s investigation, people familiar with the investigation said. Eagle S is under investigation for cutting three communication cables in the Gulf of Finland, the people added.

of Shadow ships It’s a group of old and often poorly maintained vessels that Russia uses to circumvent international sanctions on its oil exports.

The Christmas Day incident appears to be the latest in a series of pipelines and cables targeted by foreign vessels in the Baltic Sea, raising fears of a deliberate attack on critical infrastructure among them. NATO Countries.

“We must be able to prevent the threat posed by ships belonging to the Russian shadow fleet,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in a post on X after meeting with security officials on Thursday.

Last year, the Chinese container ship, New New Polar Bear, Cut the gas pipe Between Finland and Estonia, however, it was not stopped by the authorities as it was in international waters.

China’s bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 passed two data cables last month between Finland and Germany and Sweden and Lithuania. He stopped for a month in international waters between Denmark and Sweden.

Chinese investigators finally boarded the ship last week, with representatives from Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Finland observing. But Sweden’s foreign minister criticized Beijing for not allowing the Swedish investigator. To inspect a board or shipHe has now left the region.

The Eagle S case is different because the ship was voluntarily docked in Finnish waters, according to people familiar with the investigation. Ownership of the Eagle S is obscured but it appears to be the only vessel owned by a Dubai company. Attempts to reach the owner on Thursday were unsuccessful.

Officials have not determined the cause of the Eastlink 2 cable outage. Estonia also said it would not affect its electricity supply. The cable is used to export electricity FinlandIt recently brought its new nuclear power plant to Estonia.

Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said there will be no problem with the country’s electricity supply.

Finnish authorities are keeping their wits about the latest incident, with at least a dozen poorly maintained vessels sailing in shadowy vessels in the Baltic Sea.

Environmentalists have repeatedly warned of the danger to the region and other shipwrecks.

A Russian cargo ship that was under US sanctions in cooperation with the Russian military in the Mediterranean Sea sank between Spain and Algeria.