An undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia has been dam-aged in the Baltic Sea. Finnish authorities are investigating the incident and say sabotage cannot be ruled out. It’s the latest in a series of incidents since tensions with Russia increased in the region.

Helsinki

Russian forces have invaded Ukraine from land, air and sea with strikes causing widespread damage. Global leaders have condemned the move and imposed sanctions.

Ukraine Invasion

The Finnish authorities have detained a Russian cargo ship for allegedly damaging an undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia in the Baltic Sea. The investigation comes amid a series of incidents that have heightened tensions in the region. While Finnish authorities are probing the situation, they have indicated that sabotage cannot be dismissed as a possible cause of the damage.

The damaged cable is part of the Estlink 2 line, which transfers power from Finland to Estonia's electricity grid. Finnish officials have suggested that the cable may have been damaged by the anchor of an oil tanker. The Eagle S, a vessel carrying Russian oil to Egypt, was notably in proximity to the cable during the incident. The European Union has accused the Eagle S, which is identified with a fleet allegedly used to evade sanctions on Russian oil, of posing threats to both security and the environment.

This incident follows previous disruptions where two data cables in the region were cut, leading to increased scrutiny of maritime activities in the Baltic Sea. Amidst geopolitical tensions following the recent NATO membership of Finland and Sweden, authorities remain cautious as they continue investigations. Although security remains a priority, energy operators, supported by backup power plants, have stated that there is no immediate threat to the energy supply.



Finland seizes Russian ship suspected of cable sabotage

NATO exercises at sea earlier this month, designed to strengthen the alliance's ability to prevent sabotage of underwater infrastructure in the Baltic. By Wednesday the scale of that task became once again apparent, with the Finnish Coast Guard and military boarding a Russian cargo ship, suspected of cutting an electricity line between Finland and Estonia. This is the first time during these incidents where the guilty party, or let's say a suspect vessel, has been detained. What is important is to get answers to the questions regarding our security of supply or whether it's under threat. The energy companies say the answer is no, because there are backup power plants available. But operators say there could be shortfalls if the weather gets colder. The damaged cable, shown here during repairs earlier in 2024, belongs to the Estlink 2 line, taking power to Estonia from Finland's newest nuclear power plant. Finnish authorities believe the damage was caused by the anchor of an oil tanker. The vessel Eagle S, carrying Russian oil to Egypt, was seen passing over the cable when the outage happened. Just weeks ago two data cables were also cut, one between Finland and Germany and another between Lithuania and Sweden. Authorities are investigating a Chinese ship that was in the area. The incidents come amid heightened tensions in the Baltic, after Finland and Sweden joined NATO following the invasion of Ukraine. That meant all the countries bordering the sea were members of the alliance, with the exception of Russia. The EU claimed that Eagle S had been identified as belonging to a fleet of aging vessels used to circumvent sanctions on exporting oil. It said in a statement on Thursday. The suspected vessel is part of Russia's Shadow Fleet, which threatens security and the environment while funding Russia's war budget. We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to target this fleet. But with cables easily cut simply by the dragging of a ship's anchor, proving intent in this case may be difficult. Paul Rees, Al Jazeera.

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