Finland Releases Tanker After 3 Months Of Detention Over Cable Damage

Finland has released the Eagle S, a shadow fleet oil tanker detained since December for damaging undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. Despite its release, the criminal investigation into the incident remains active.

On March 3, Finnish authorities confirmed that the Eagle S had been allowed to leave the country’s territorial waters under the supervision of the Finnish Border Guard.

The decision was made after investigators found there was no longer a legal reason to keep the vessel detained. However, police stated that the probe into the case is still in progress, with eight crew members suspected of serious offenses, including criminal mischief and tampering with communications.

Three of them, from Georgia and India, remain under a travel ban, while five others were allowed to leave Finland earlier.

The Eagle S, a 74,000-deadweight-ton (dwt) tanker built in 2006, and sailing under the Cook Islands flag, was seized after dragging its anchor across the seabed on December 25.

This led to the damage to four telecommunications cables and the Estlink 2 electricity connection between Finland and Estonia. The dragging created a 100-kilometer trench on the Baltic Sea floor.

The anchor was retrieved on January 6 as part of forensic investigations.

In response to a series of similar cable disruptions in the region, NATO has stepped up its surveillance, with some officials suspecting it as a deliberate sabotage linked to Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

The Eagle S is believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet”- a group of older tankers used to transport Russian oil to circumvent Western sanctions.

While the Kremlin has denied involvement, the vessel’s seizure intensified speculation about possible hybrid warfare tactics.

Finnish police want to conclude the investigation by the end of April. Fingrid Oyj and Estonia’s Elering AS, the power transmission operators affected by the cable damage, had initially considered keeping the vessel as compensation for damages.

However, they later dropped the plan, citing excessive costs for detaining and maintaining the ship. Instead, they intend to seek legal compensation.

When the vessel was seized, Finnish special forces boarded it using ropes from a helicopter, rejecting the captain’s offer to use pilot ladders. Authorities place 12 security guards onboard throughout its detention to prevent unauthorised departure.

An inspection in January found safety deficiencies on the Eagle S, which have since been corrected, allowing Finland’s transport authority, Traficom, to approve the tanker’s departure.

The Eagle S is the third vessel in recent months to be detained and later released in connection with undersea cable damage in the Baltic.

Sweden had previously seized the Vezhen, a Bulgarian-owned bulk carrier, before attributing the damage it caused to rough weather and poor seamanship.

Norway had also briefly had the Silver Daniel, a fish carrier, but later determined it was not involved in any sabotage. No Baltic country has formally charged any Russian-linked ship with intentional sabotage.

The International Cable Protection Committee reports that 150-200 undersea cable faults occur worldwide annually, with up to 80% caused by fishing or ship anchors.

While some officials argue that recent Baltic cable incidents are linked to Russia’s hybrid warfare strategy, others, including Finnish President Alexander Stubb, have suggested that incompetence or navigational errors may be to blame.

Meanwhile, Russian telecommunications firm Rostelecom recently reported damage to one of its undersea cables in the Baltic, due to a ship dragging its anchor.

The Eagle S was escorted out of Finnish waters by the Border Guard and the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard patrol vessel Turva. While the tanker continues its journey, the three crew members still under travel restrictions await further legal proceedings.

References: Bloomberg, NYTimes

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