A ship seized by the Finnish coast guard on Wednesday on suspicion of damaging an undersea telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Tallinn was carrying Russian steel sanctioned by the European Union. This was announced by the Finnish customs office on Thursday, writes TASR according to a report by the AFP agency.
- The Finnish coast guard detained the cargo ship on suspicion.
- The ship was carrying steel originating in Russia, subject to EU sanctions.
- Damaged undersea telecommunications cable fueled allegations of sabotage.
- Authorities have opened an investigation into a potential violation of sanctions regulations.
- The EU plans to strengthen infrastructure and protection against hybrid threats.
“Preliminary information indicates that the cargo consisted of steel products originating in Russia, which are subject to extensive sanctions imposed on Russia,” the customs office said in a statement.
According to customs officials, this structural steel is subject to EU sanctions. “The import of such sanctioned goods into the EU is prohibited under EU sanctions regulations,” he stated, adding that he continues to investigate “the applicability of EU sanctions legislation to this case.”
They started an investigation
According to the customs office, the steel will be detained until the situation is clarified. The Finnish customs administration has opened a preliminary investigation with the aim of “initiating preliminary criminal proceedings regarding a possible violation of the sanctions”.
On Wednesday, the Finnish Coast Guard detained the 132-meter-long cargo ship Fitburg, flying the flag of the Caribbean country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, en route from St. Petersburg, Russia to Haifa, Israel. The police also detained a 14-member crew from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Russia. According to the police statement, the ship probably damaged a cable owned by the Finnish telecommunications operator Elisa and located in the exclusive economic zone of Estonia.
Police are investigating the incident as “grievous harm, attempted grievous harm and serious disruption of telecommunications”. It also cooperates with authorities abroad, including those in Estonia.
This is not the first incident
AFP states that in recent years, there has been a number of damages to the energy and communication infrastructure, including submarine cables and gas pipelines, in the Baltic Sea. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many experts and politicians have characterized these incidents as sabotage directed by Russia and part of its hybrid war against Western countries.
EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas said on the X Network on Thursday that Europe “remains vigilant” as its critical infrastructure is “highly at risk of sabotage”.
In her post, Kallas thanked Finland for the quick action in connection with the seizure of the ship. “The EU will continue to strengthen its critical infrastructure, including investing in new cables, strengthening surveillance, ensuring greater repair capacity and cracking down on Moscow’s shadow fleet, which also serves as a springboard for hybrid attacks,” she wrote.
