Finland has seized an oil tanker suspected of cutting undersea power and internet cables, and Finnish authorities say the vessel may have been part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” aimed at circumventing Western sanctions. He said there is.
The incident comes as NATO has said it will increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea following Wednesday’s cable cutting incident, and the region is already on high alert over the Ukraine war.
The Finnish government said in a statement that the Estlink 2 power cable and several communication cables between Finland and Estonia had been severed. Despite this, the country’s energy and communications services remain stable, it added.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkuru said he would deploy the navy to the area of the Estlink 1 cable to “defend and secure” the energy relationship between Estonia and Finland.
Finnish police said on Friday that an investigation was being carried out on board the cargo ship Eagle S to determine whether it was involved in Wednesday’s cable cut in the Gulf of Finland.
It said the ship’s crew were being interviewed and evidence was being collected in a “rigorous and lengthy investigation” into the alleged “aggravated vandalism”.
Finnish authorities said they suspected the ship likely belonged to Russia’s shadow fleet. The fleet is a fleet of unmarked tankers used to circumvent price caps imposed by Western countries on Russian crude oil transported by sea over the Kremlin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The use of Shadow Fleet tankers to sever vital undersea cables would create a major escalation in an area already on high alert due to the war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin declined to comment on the matter at a press conference on Friday.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the alliance would “strengthen” its military presence in the Baltic Sea following Wednesday’s cable cutting incident.
“NATO stands in solidarity with our allies in condemning any attack on critical infrastructure,” he said in a post on X on Friday.
Finnish President Alexander Stubbe said in a statement on Friday that Finland, together with Estonia, called for a stronger NATO presence in the region, especially around critical infrastructure. He said the request “has already been fulfilled.”
However, he offered reassuring words, saying that “Finland has strong capabilities to respond to situations like this.”
“The situation is under control. There is no reason to worry,” he added, noting that he had held an “extraordinary meeting” on the issue with Finland’s Ministerial Committee for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy earlier Friday.
Stubb said he expected Finland to “continue to meet the challenges posed by Russia’s shadow fleet” with its allies.
The European Union said it was working on measures including sanctions targeting Russia’s shadow fleet.
The European Commission and the High Representative for Inquiry into Damage to Power and Data Cables in the Baltic Sea said in a joint statement on Thursday that Wednesday’s incident was just “the latest in a series of alleged attacks on critical infrastructure.”
“We commend the Finnish authorities for their swift action to board the suspect vessel,” it said, adding that it was cooperating with Finland in the investigation into the alleged attack.
