The Police of Finland has opened an investigation this Thursday for “aggravated sabotage” still oil coming from Russia after the damage recorded to the EstLink2and submarine electricity cable that connects the European country with Estonia.
“The oil tanker ‘Eagle S’, registered in the Cook Islands, entered Finnish territorial waters and its involvement in the damage is now being investigated,” the Police said in a statement in which they stated that they escorted the ship with Guard helicopters. Border and Armed Forces.
The Finnish authorities are investigating the damage to the cable, which extends for about 170 kilometers longof which about 145 kilometers are underwater. In total, 14 kilometers run through Finnish territory while another 12 run through Estonian territory.
The director general of Customs, Sami Rahskit, explained in a press conference that it is suspected that the ship belongs to the so-called “floats in the shadows” from Russia. The case is also being investigated for a serious crime sanctions evasion.
The crew of the ship — currently off the coast of Porkkala, about 30 kilometers from the capital, Helsinki — is still being interrogated by the Finnish authorities, so there are no details about their nationalities.
According to preliminary data from the investigations, the anchors of the tanker truck were not inside the ship, which was transporting refilled gasoline from a Russian port. At the moment, there are no other suspicious vessels, according to the YLE broadcasting network.
Risk for the EU
The Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpohas stated that “shadow fleets pose a great risk to other states in the Baltic Sea and the rest of the European Union. “The Government is doing everything possible to solve it,” he added.
For his part, the Estonian Prime Minister, Christian Michalhas urged to increase the level of monitoring and protection of European critical infrastructure. “Communication services are guaranteed: internet use will not be affected,” he said at a press conference with the Minister of the Interior, Lauri Laanemets.
His words come after a emergency meeting of the Estonian Government following the failures in the cable. Michal, who has already spoken by phone with Orpo, has reported that he will contact the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, according to the newspaper ‘Postimees’.
The shadow fleet are third country ships that help transport prohibited goods to Russia or to benefit the Kremlin within the framework of the sanctions imposed by Western countries in retaliation for the war in Ukraine.
Threat of sanctions
Later, the European Commission and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallahave stated in a joint statement that they “strongly condemn any deliberate destruction of Europe’s critical infrastructure.”
“The suspect ship is part of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’, which threatens security and the environment, while financing Russia’s war budget. We will propose new measures, including sanctions, to target this fleet.” , they have added.
Likewise, they have stated that will strengthen mechanisms to protect submarine cables in Europe through improved information exchange and international cooperation, as well as new detection technologies.
“We remain committed to ensuring the resilience and the security of our critical infrastructure”, they have stressed, also conveying their congratulations to Finland for its “quick action” in board the suspicious ship.
