Baltic tensions rise: Damage to key power link under probe
Seven crew members of the ship Eagle S, suspected of damaging an underwater power cable in the Baltic Sea, are under investigation and have been prohibited from leaving Finland, Finnish police reported on Tuesday. The vessel was detained in the Gulf of Finland and then towed to the port of Porvoo.
The police reported that seven crew members of the Eagle S are under investigation and subject to a travel ban. It is suspected that the vessel caused damage to the EstLink 2 cable on December 25, a critical link along the Baltic seabed connecting Finland and Estonia. Additionally, there are allegations that the ship is part of a Russian shadow fleet used to circumvent sanctions and facilitate the export of oil and other resources, generating funds for Russia's war effort against Ukraine.
Investigators from the Finnish Central Criminal Police suspect the EstLink 2 cable damage might have been caused by the anchor of the Eagle S, a ship sailing under the Cook Islands flag, on a voyage from St. Petersburg to Egypt carrying approximately 31,800 metric tonnes of Russian gasoline. The case is formally being investigated as vandalism and property damage. On the same day, four submarine data cables were damaged: three between Finland and Estonia and one connecting Finland to Germany. It has not yet been determined if these events are connected.
Eagle S was detained and escorted by a border guard patrol boat. Last Thursday, shortly after midnight Eastern Time, officers boarded it. On Friday, Finnish customs reported that they seized 31,800 metric tonnes of unleaded gasoline that Eagle S had loaded in the Russian ports near St. Petersburg.
According to customs, the vessel hadn't previously operated in the Gulf of Finland, but mostly travelled between Turkey and India, which is "significant information" from a sanctions compliance perspective. The tanker’s crew of about 20 consists mainly of citizens from Georgia and India.
Last Thursday, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo declared that the damage to the EstLink 2 power line is a "consequence of Russia's attack on Ukraine." However, it's too early to accuse Russia directly, but the "shadow fleet sails on its behalf," he acknowledged when answering journalists' questions.
The Finnish Prime Minister expressed concerns that Russian shadow fleet tankers pose a significant threat to all Baltic nations and the European Union, stressing the need for additional measures to halt their operations. These tankers are contributing to Russia's revenue and war funding. He highlighted that while around 80 ships are listed on the EU's sanctioned shadow fleet list, the total number of such vessels could exceed 400. The Eagle S has not yet been included in the blacklist.
Rrepair could take over half a year
On Wednesday, the Finnish operator Fingrid announced the EstLink 2 outage, which disrupted energy transmission between Finland and Estonia. According to them, the repair could take up to seven months.
The EstLink 2 power connection, maintained by Finland's Fingrid and Estonia's Elering, spans about 170 kilometres, with approximately 145 kilometres running along the seabed of the Gulf of Finland between Estonia's Pussi and Finland's Porvoo. The cable was commissioned in 2014. It represents an important transmission link between Finland and the Baltic countries, with a capacity of over 650 MW. The currently operating EstLink 1 cable has a capacity of 350 MW.
