When you make a purchase through the links in our articles, Future and its partners in syndication may receive a commission. Finland recently intercepted and boarded a ship suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 undersea power cable and three other internet lines on Christmas Day. The vessel in question, an oil tanker named Eagle S registered in the Cook Islands, is owned by Caravella LLCFZ, based in the United Arab Emirates. This tanker is reportedly the sole ship owned by the company. The Financial Times reported that the Eagle S was transporting oil from Russia to Egypt and was situated above the damaged cable during the outage.
Sources indicate that the Eagle S is part of Russia’s covert fleet consisting of aging and poorly-maintained oil tankers. These ships are registered and owned by companies in different countries, serving as a means for Russia to bypass international sanctions on its oil exports. Following this incident, Finnish President Alexander Stubb expressed concerns on social media about the risks posed by vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet.
A series of disruptions to subsea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea have occurred in recent years since Russia’s annexation of Ukraine. Prior to this recent incident, a significant event took place in mid-November involving the Yi Peng 3, a Chinese bulk carrier traveling from Ust-Luga, Russia, to Egypt. It was suspected of intentionally damaging an undersea internet cable linking Sweden and Lithuania on November 16. The ship was believed to have repeated the action the following day, severing the C-Lion1 communications cable between Finland and Germany.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna expressed concern over the increasing frequency of such incidents, suggesting they may not all be accidental. He emphasized the need to recognize these actions as deliberate attacks on crucial infrastructure. Finnish authorities are currently investigating the recent incident, having seized the ship in the Baltic Sea and brought it to Finnish waters. Upon inspection, they found the ship’s anchors missing, likely used by the crew to cause the undersea damage. Finnish National Bureau of Investigation Director Robin Lardot described the situation as a serious act of sabotage, attributing the damage to the vessel’s anchor.
This is not the first time disruptions have impacted network connections between Finland and Estonia. In a previous incident, the Balticconnector gas pipeline and several internet and data cables linking the countries were damaged, with suspicions pointing towards a ship believed to be the Chinese cargo vessel NewNew Polar Bear.
In response to these events, NATO intends to deploy sea drones for monitoring and safeguarding underwater infrastructure. Additionally, twelve NATO member countries around the Baltic and North Seas are taking steps to counter Russia’s shadow fleet, aiming to enforce international sanctions and disrupt the funding that supports Moscow’s actions in Ukraine. Coordination with allies and partners is underway to strengthen international cooperation on this matter.
Tsahkna emphasizes, “Not only does the shadow fleet evade sanctions, but it also poses a significant security risk in the Baltic Sea. We must not remain idle spectators to this threat.”
