An undersea gas pipeline and two data cables connecting Scandinavia and Estonia were found damaged in October. Investigation into the issues has found that the damage came from the exterior and singled out an Asian vessel as the main suspect, though it is not confirmed if it was intentional.
As of today, several undersea connection points between Estonia, Finland and Sweden have been found damaged, possibly intentionally, pending further investigation. The latest is that some external force provoked these damages, though it is unclear what that was given the evidence. A Chinese vessel is suspected due to being in the area at the time of the damages.
On the 8th of October, the governments of Finland and Estonia found out that their gas pipeline “Balticconnector” had reported a leak, along with finding damage to a telecommunications cable. On the 17th of October, Sweden’s Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin reported that their telecommunications cable with Estonia was damaged as well, though still in full functionality.
On the 10th of October, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) launched a criminal investigation together with Estonian authorities concerning their damaged joint pipeline and cable. One week later, the investigation singled out two vessels that were in the area at the time of the incident: the Newnew Polar Bear (from Hong Kong) and the Sevmorput (Russian). It was also found that the damage had occurred within the Estonian Economic Zone.
Investigations into the damage of the gas pipeline confirmed that it had been caused by an external mechanical force, according to Finland.
An extremely heavy object was reportedly found on the seabed, which may be connected with the damages once it is extracted and analyzed. The Finnish government announced on October 20th that their investigation is now focused on the Chinese vessel, the Newnew Polar Bear.
Yesterday, the Swedish government confirmed that their telecommunications cable with Estonia was damaged “by means of external force or tampering,” though still fully functional. They also mentioned that the damage to this cable occurred in the Estonian Economic Zone.
The spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Mao Ning addressed the investigation during a press conference yesterday. When a journalist from the Finnish publication Helsingin Sanomat asked for comment on the investigation and if China would cooperate, Ning denied that the Chinese vessel was involved.
“To my knowledge, the Chinese vessel was sailing through relevant waters normally when the incident occurred,” Ning said. “We hope relevant authorities will find out what happened soon and make sure that the investigation is conducted in an objective, just and professional manner.”
