Finnish police and border guards intervened against the vessel, which was moving with its anchor down. The authorities are investigating the case as a serious crime of damage to property and disruption of telecommunications.
Finnish authorities detained a naval vessel in the Gulf of Finland on Wednesday. The vessel is suspected of intentionally damaging an undersea telecommunications cable in Estonia’s economic zone.
The police said in a statement that the telecommunications company Elisa reported a fault on the cable between Helsinki and Tallinn in the early hours of December 31, Reuters reports.
They sailed with the anchor down
The Finnish Border Guard subsequently located the suspect vessel, which was in the Finnish zone, and ordered it to stop. The border guards immediately ordered the ship’s crew to pull out the anchor. Subsequently, they escorted the vessel into Finnish territorial waters.
“Finnish authorities have taken control of the vessel as part of a joint operation,” a police press release said.
According to information from the Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat, the detained ship is named Fitburg and sails under the flag of the state of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The police are currently investigating the case.
Responding to the incident, Estonia’s Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs said multiple cables were likely damaged. The location of the damage reported by Elisa is in waters under Estonian jurisdiction.
