Finland has paraded the enormous anchor allegedly used by an oil tanker belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet to snap several critical undersea cables on the bed of the Baltic Sea.
The anchor, presumed to belong to the Eagle S oil tanker, is being held by Finnish investigators after it was recovered from the Baltic Sea.
Finland is currently conducting a criminal investigation into the oil tanker Eagle S, a Russia-linked ship, after its anchor was suspected of causing damage to the Estlink-2 power cable on Christmas Day.
The Eagle S is thought to be part of Russia’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’ – ships that carry Russian crude oil and petroleum products, which are embargoed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The vital cable takes electricity from Finland to Estonia across the Baltic Sea.
The incident cut the electricity connection on Estlink 2 between EU and NATO states Finland and Estonia on December 25 and sparked uproar in Europe, with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte vowing to ‘enhance the military presence in the Baltic Sea.’
Finnish police said on December 29 that they had found a drag trail stretching dozens of miles along the seabed.
Investigators suspect that the cables were damaged after the tanker’s anchor was dragged over them.
Sweden last week sent a submarine rescue vessel to assist Finland in the investigation and on Tuesday said that the anchor had been recovered.
‘The HMS Belos has located and lifted the anchor and handed it over to Finnish authorities,’ Swedish navy spokesman Jimmie Adamsson told AFP.
Finland seized the tanker on December 28 and has banned eight crew members from leaving Finnish territory.
Finnish telecom operator Elisa said Monday that two of the four damaged telecom cables had been repaired.
The Estlink 2 power cable has not yet been repaired.
Energy and communications infrastructure in particular have been targeted as part of what experts and politicians call Russia’s ‘hybrid war’ with Western countries.
The Baltic is surrounded by a number of NATO member states.
In a stunning show of force, NATO today sent a fleet of ten ships to the Baltic to protect Europe’s crucial undersea cables after a spate of sabotage attacks.
The ships are set to remain at sea until April and will be strategically positioned near energy and data cables in an effort to deter any attempts to destroy them.
It comes a week before Finland is set to host a summit of NATO countries bordering the Baltic Sea to discuss security in the region, as the alliance boosts its maritime presence following several subsea cable cuts.
The January 14 meeting in Helsinki will focus on ‘measures required to secure the critical underwater infrastructure’, a statement from the office of Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said.
‘The discussion will focus on strengthening of NATO’s presence in the Baltic Sea and responding to the threat posed by Russia’s shadow fleet.’
The ‘shadow fleet’ consists of ships that carry Russian crude oil and petroleum products embargoed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The often ageing vessels operate under dubious ownership or without proper insurance.
Among those due to attend the meeting are NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the leaders of Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden, and the executive vice-president of the European Commission Henna Virkkunen.
Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal will co-host the meeting.
Finland became a NATO member in 2023, dropping decades of military non-alignment after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.