Russia-Linked Ship Held in Cable Sabotage Case Released
Finnish police said on Monday they had lifted the seizure of a ship which had been held on suspicion of sabotaging an undersea telecoms cable running from Helsinki to Estonia across the Gulf of Finland, although the investigation continues.The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and NATO has boosted its military presence with frigates, aircraft and naval drones.Finland seized the Fitburg cargo ship on December 31 while en route from Russia to Israel, and detained one crew member as part of the
Latvia Police Board Vessel After Baltic Sea Cable Breach
incident has not affected Latvian communications users," she wrote on X.The latest incident is made public five days after Finnish police seized a cargo vessel en route from Russia to Israel on suspicion of sabotaging an undersea telecoms cable running from Helsinki across the Gulf of Finland to Estonia.(Reuters - Reporting by Andrius Sytas, additional reporting by Anna Ringstrom, writing by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche
Chinese Captain in Baltic Sea Cable Damage Case Appears in Court
appeared in Hong Kong's Eastern magistrates' court without legal representation so was assigned a duty lawyer by the court.The 43-year-old Chinese national is alleged to have caused "criminal damage" to an underwater natural gas pipeline and submarine telecom cables between Finland and Estonia on October 8, 2023, according to a Hong Kong charge sheet seen by Reuters.The document added the defendant "without lawful excuse damaged the property belonging to another" and that he had been "reckless as to whether such property would be damaged."The magistrate adjourned the
Cellula Robotics Expands AUV Market Reach in Northern Europe
and scientific sectors.SES will focus on customers in academic research, offshore survey, and geophysical industries, while FLANQ will engage with defense, maritime security, and government clients.The new partnership will support customers in Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland, offering local expertise and direct access to Cellula’s underwater platforms and sensors.“We have worked with SES and FLANQ co-founders, Sören Themann and Daniel Esser, for many years now. We’ve watched Subsea Europe’s strong, year-on-year growth and been
Underwater Sabotage: A Baltic Sea Timeline
had dropped to the seabed in high winds and may have struck the cable, but denied any sabotage.A Swedish prosecutor on February 3 concluded that the breach happened by accident and released the vessel.DECEMBER 2024: POWER AND INTERNET CABLESThe Estlink 2 undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia was damaged on December 25 along with four telecoms lines.Finland seized the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S tanker on suspicion it caused the damage by dragging its anchor, adding that the ship was part of a "shadow fleet" circumventing sanctions on Russian oil.The Kremlin said the ship'
Baltic States Switch from Russian to European Power Grid
The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania completed a switch from Russia's electricity grid to the EU's system on Sunday, severing Soviet-era ties amid heightened security after the suspected sabotage of several subsea cables and pipelines.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the move, years in the planning, as marking a new era of freedom for the region, in a speech at a ceremony in Vilnius alongside the leaders of the three countries and the Polish president."These chains of power lines linking you to hostile neighbours will be a thing of the past,"
Subsea Cables "Torn Apart" by External Force, says Elisa
a strong external force, Finland's Elisa said today, adding that they had now been repaired. The cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea on Dec. 25, 2024.Finnish police seized the Eagle S tanker carrying Russian oil on Dec. 26 and said they suspected that the vessel had damaged the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and four telecoms cables on Christmas Day by dragging its anchor across the seabed."The current suspicion is that the external force has been caused by an anchor," Jaakko Wallenius, Chief Security Officer at Elisa, which owns two of the four fiber optic lines, said
Subsea Sabotage in the Baltic Sea - a Timeline for Perspective
asked Poland to arrest a Ukrainian diving instructor accused of being part of a team that blew up the Nord Stream pipelines. Poland said the man left the country before he could be detained.OCT 2023: BALTICCONNECTOR GAS PIPE AND CABLESA subsea gas pipeline, the Balticconnector, which links Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea, was severed by what Finnish investigators determined was Chinese container vessel NewNew Polar Bear dragging its anchor in the early on Oct. 8, 2023. Estonian police suspect the ship of also damaging telecoms cables connecting Estonia to Finland and Sweden on Oct. 7-8, before
Drag Marks Found on Baltic Seabed After Finland-Estonia Interconnector Damage
questioned.Baltic Sea nations have been on high alert after a string of outages of power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. NATO said on Friday it would boost its presence in the region.A break in the 658 megawatt (MW) Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia occurred at midday on Wednesday, leaving only the 358 MW Estlink 1 linking the two countries, grid operators said. They said Estlink 2 might not be back in service before August.Finnish police suspect the Eagle S caused the damage by dragging its anchor along the seabed.Investigators have identified
February 2026
