The situation concerning the oil tanker suspected of causing damage to multiple subsea cables in the Baltic Sea remains unresolved, according to Finland's Defence Committee.
Jukka Kopra, Chair of the Defence Committee and a member of the National Coalition Party (NCP), addressed the media following an exceptional meeting held by the Committee on Friday morning.
Kopra stated that various official processes are underway but refrained from speculating how long they might take.
He also said he cannot elaborate further on any plans to protect Finland's underwater infrastructure.
"These are precisely the matters that authorities and responsible ministries are investigating. They will surely provide information once the issues have been clarified," he said.
"We have been naive”
The Ministry of Transport and Communications has temporarily suspended plans to centralise infrastructure information online, revealed Kopra.
Vice-chair of the Defence Committee, Mikko Savola (Cen), criticised the public visibility of Finland's critical infrastructure, including on the Internet.
"Admittedly, we have been naïve in this society," he said.
Savola said he encourages the government to introduce stricter proposals to parliament. He also noted that regional and municipal contingency plans are now being updated to ensure that the locations of all cables and pipelines don't need to be publicly visible.
According to Savola, Finland still does not face a direct military threat. He said that Nato membership has strengthened both defence and deterrence and that Finland is preparing for various hybrid threats.
Shadow fleet poses environmental risks
The Defence Committee said it has great confidence in the authorities' actions in handling the matter.
"This sequence of events demonstrates our excellent authorities and operational capabilities in such situations. Everything is handled precisely and based on the law, with no overreactions," said Committee Chair Kopra.
Investigators are currently examining the Eagle S and interviewing the crew, with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) unable to give a timeline for the probe's conclusion
The greatest threat posed by the "shadow fleet" or "dark fleet" is an environmental risk, according to Kopra. These vessels are usually more than 15 years old with unknown ownership and their sole purpose is to transport large amounts of oil and fuel.
"A spill in the Gulf of Finland would be an environmental disaster," Kopra said.
Tanker to remain impounded
Helsinki District Court on Friday ruled that the Eagle S oil tanker, suspected of causing cable damage, would remain impounded off the coast of Porvoo.
Friday's court session proceeded behind closed doors against the wishes of Herman Ljungberg, the lawyer representing the oil tanker's crew and operator, Caravella.
Ljungberg argued that he had not received a decision explaining why the vessel was boarded or why it was brought into Finnish territorial waters.
The NBI previously said the vessel was seized because it serves as evidence in a criminal case. Technical investigations and crew interviews are taking place, with investigators on board the vessel.
The investigation is expected to last several months.
National grid operator Fingrid, Estonian grid operator Elering, and telecom firms Elisa and state-owned Cinia are also demanding that the Eagle S remain impounded as they seek to secure compensation for the damages caused to the cables.
Finnish police seized the tanker, sailing under the Cook Islands flag, on 28 December, suspecting that the vessel damaged the Estlink 2 power transmission cable between Finland and Estonia, as well as four communication cables, on Christmas Day.
EDIT at 3.35pm to add information about the Helsinki District Court's ruling.