Finland seizes ship from Russia amid suspected cable sabotage incident

Finland’s authorities have seized a cargo vessel, Fitburg, after discovering damage to an undersea telecommunications cable in its exclusive economic zone. The incident occurred on Wednesday when the ship was en route from Russia to Israel and was directed into Finnish territorial waters. According to officials, the Fitburg was dragging its anchor and had been spotted by Helsinki police.

The crew of 14, who are from Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan, were detained by Finnish police upon arrival. The vessel sailed under the flag of St Vincent and the Grenadines. An investigation has been launched into potential aggravated criminal damage and aggravated interference with telecommunications.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated that Finland is prepared for security challenges and will respond as necessary. The Gulf of Finland, which borders Estonia, Finland, and Russia, has seen a string of similar incidents in recent years. A critical underwater infrastructure cable belonging to Elisa was damaged, but the company reported that its services have not been affected.

NATO officials confirmed that they are in contact with Finnish authorities through the NATO shipping centre. Estonian President Alar Karis expressed concern over the incident and hopes it was not a deliberate act. The incidents have raised concerns about energy and communications infrastructure damage in the Baltic Sea, particularly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In recent years, there have been several incidents involving damaged underwater cables and pipelines in the region. A Cook Islands-registered oil tanker, Eagle S, cut five cables in the Gulf of Finland in December 2024 after dragging its anchor for 90km. Finnish prosecutors are appealing a court ruling that did not grant jurisdiction to try the ship’s senior officers.

Source: Al Jazeera