An oil tanker that was in the area when the Finland-Estonia electrical link was disrupted on Wednesday has been boarded by the Finnish Border Guard and escorted into Finnish territorial waters.
According to global ship tracking website MarineTraffic, the vessel in question, the Eagle S, flying the Cook Islands flag, noticeably slowed down while passing over the cable around the time the transmission was disrupted.
The Finnish Border Guard's patrol vessel Turva escorted the tanker to waters some 20km off Porkkalaniemi, a peninsula on the Gulf of Finland, on Wednesday evening. The ship is now anchored in Finnish territorial waters and a three-kilometre no-fly zone has been imposed in the area.
According to the Finnish Border Guard, the anchors on the Eagle S vessel were not in place, raising suspicions among authorities. Officials said that based on the preliminary investigation, there is reason to believe the vessel's anchor caused the damage.
In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said that Finland will respond decisively to any suspected interference with its undersea infrastructure.
Authorities have also reported disruptions in a total of four telecommunications cables connecting Finland in the Baltic Sea.
Vessel linked to Russia's 'dark fleet'
The oil tanker was, according to MarineTraffic, on its way from St Petersburg to Egypt.
According to the British publication Lloyd's List, the Eagle S tanker is part of Russia's oil-carrying 'dark fleet', also known as 'shadow fleet'.
The publication defines "dark fleet" tanker as a vessel older than 15 years whose true owner is unknown, and whose sole purpose is to transport oil from sanctioned countries. These ships are involved in deceptive maritime practices defined by the US government, and typically lack proper insurance. They are often very old vessels that are poorly maintained, making them major environmental risks as well.
Lloyd's List reported that the tanker belongs to Caravella, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, and is the only vessel in the company's fleet. In July, the British publication reported that the Eagle S, a ship about 20 years old and in poor condition, posed a security and environmental risk.
The Estlink 2 electricity connection between Finland and Estonia was disrupted shortly after noon on Christmas Day.
According to Arto Pahkin, manager of Fingrid's Main Grid Control Centre, the damaged area is located in the Finnish side of the subsea cable between the two countries, making Fingrid responsible for the repair. Pahkin estimated that repairs could take up to seven months.
Aggravated sabotage
Police are working with the Border Guard and other authorities to investigate the sequence of events leading to the incident. Police said it is now investigating the incident as a case of aggravated vandalism.
Fingrid's manager Pahkin told Yle on Wednesday that the possibility of terrorism or vandalism cannot be ruled out. According to Pahkin, two vessels were near the marine cable at the time the connection was severed.
President Stubb monitoring the situation
President Alexander Stubb has received a briefing on the cable damage in the Gulf of Finland from top officials.
"The risks posed by vessels connected to Russia's shadow fleet must be countered," he posted.
He also mentioned closely monitoring the situation with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP), and commended the effective collaboration among authorities investigating the incident.
No immediate threat to Finland's power system
The disruption in the Estlink 2 power transmission cable between Finland and Estonia has not affected Finland's electricity system, according to a statement published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.
Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen (NCP), stated that the fault does not pose any immediate threat to Finland’s power system.
“The fault is unlikely to significantly impact electricity prices in the coming days,” Mykkänen said.
Finnish grid operator Fingrid is working with Estonia's grid operator Elering to investigate the issue.