Finland Seizes Tanker Suspected of Sabotage
The Eagle S has been escorted into port.
🇫🇮/ 🇷🇺
Finnish authorities have confiscated the oil tanker Eagle S as the latest investigation into damaged cables in the Baltic Sea continues. The ship was moved into Kilpilahti harbour near Helsinki this (Saturday) morning, according to Helsinki Police.
“The transfer is being carried out because the Central Criminal Police seized the Eagle S tanker. From the police's point of view, the new location is a better option for investigative measures. Preliminary investigation activities are suspended on the ship while the ship is being moved, and they are resumed when the ship is anchored. In the vicinity of the tanker, there is an isolation area determined by the police on the basis of the Police Act, which is within a radius of one nautical mile from the vessel. The area is isolated due to the authorities' own operational security. There is a no-fly zone around Sköldvik Bay until further notice.”
The ship was moved into harbour under escort with the help of the ship’s captain and crew. Once the ship is docked and secured, the police say the investigation can continue and “more efficiently target the technical criminal investigation there and more easily carry out more traditional preliminary investigation methods, such as interviews and interrogations.”
Police said yesterday that some of the ship’s crew are considered witnesses while others are considered suspects in the criminal investigation into the damaged EstLink2 power cable and several other nearby data cables. There are around 20 crew members onboard. They are reported to largely be citizens of India or Georgia. Finnish authorities say that at the moment no actual arrests have been carried out. Once the ship is docked, the crew, at least for the short term, will not be allowed to leave the tanker.
The electricity transmission cable, Estlink 2, between Finland and Estonia was disconnected on Christmas Day just after the noon hour. The authorities suspected the Eagle S oil tanker, sailing under the flag of the Cook Islands, of damaging the sea cable. On Thursday, the ship was detained and boarded by Finnish authorities.
-
There is another interesting angle around the unfolding story around the Eagle S tanker, its cargo. The tanker is full of sanctioned Russian oil. Finland’s Customs Agency is looking at the possibility of launching its own investigation into suspected regulatory crimes related specifically to the cargo of Russian oil. In the meantime the customs agency has, at least temporarily, seized the ship’s cargo.
🇬🇧
The British shipping journal Lloyd’s List is reporting that the Eagle S had transmitting and receiving devices installed that effectively allowed it to become a “spy ship.” The journal, citing sources, says there was hi-tech equipment onboard the tanker that consumed so much power the ship often suffered blackouts. The journal says the equipment was used to monitor radio frequencies and all NATO marine and aerial traffic. All the information was reportedly then transferred to Russian authorities when the tanker docked in Russian port.
🇫🇮
In the aftermath of the damage done to the EstLink2 cable, Finnish President Alexander Stubb called a joint meeting of the President of the Republic and the Cabinet Committee on Foreign and Security Policy to discuss the situation. Stubb came out of the meeting with three key messages.
The first was that Finnish authorities are on top of the situation.
“Finland has a strong ability to respond to situations like this. Our authorities are acting quickly in close cooperation. The situation is under control. We have no reason to be concerned. We are investigating what happened.”
The second was that Finland is acting in close cooperation with allies, especially Estonia. The third was the need to do something about Russia’s ‘shadow fleet.’
“The activities of the shadow fleet will be addressed. We will continue the actions agreed upon in NATO and the EU and the inspections of insurance certificates. We will also seek ways, based on international maritime law, to be able to respond more effectively to similar incidents in the future.”
-
Finnish President Alexander Stubb is also calling for NATO to increase its naval presence in the Baltic to deter any more attempts to sabotage undersea infrastructure. Stubb said in a press conference that he has already discussed the matter with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
“The [NATO] presence must be especially visible near critical infrastructure.”
For his part, Rutte posted on social media that NATO must increase its military presence in the Baltic without providing specifics.
On Thursday, Rutte also spoke to Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
"NATO stands in solidarity with Allies and condemns any attacks on critical infrastructure. We are following investigations by Estonia & Finland, and we stand ready to provide further support.”
Stubb also said the incident underscores the need to do more to counteract Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ of aging oil tankers that it is using to avoid sanctions on its oil and gas exports. He said that the tanker Eagle S was on a course that would have reached the EstLink1 power cable and the Baltic Connector gas pipeline after damaging the EstLink2 electric submarine cable had it not been stopped.
🇫🇮/ 🇷🇺
The Finnish Border Guard has increased its spill prevention and preparedness as Russia deploys a sizable ‘shadow fleet’ of aging oil tankers in order to skirt sanctions.
Maritime Safety Expert and Border Guard Commander, Petteri Salli:
“The aim is to ensure the safe navigation of the vessels of the shadow fleet, of course, also through surveillance.”
Baltic Sea nations recently agreed to cooperate on increasing security in the Baltic and taking action against Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’. Some of the tankers are in such bad condition that they are on the international blacklist, which is increasing concern about the potential for a catastrophic oil spill.
The Eagle S, suspected of being a part of the ‘shadow fleet,’ was responsible for an oil spill in Chilean waters in 2012 when it was operating under another name.
🇪🇪
Estonia continues to draw a hard line over defending its undersea infrastructure in the aftermath of another case of suspected sabotage of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. Estonia has dispatched a warship to patrol in the vicinity of the Estlink1 power cable in order to, in the words of Estonia’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, protect it “by military means” if need be.
Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a Thursday night press conference that damage to critical undersea infrastructure has become so common that it is hard to believe that the damage to the EstLink2 cable is an accident.
“If there is a threat to critical underwater infrastructure in our region, there will also be a response. They [cable sabotage] have become systematic, and we have to consider them a deliberate attack on our infrastructure.”
🇪🇪/ 🇷🇺
Estonia will disconnect from the Russian electricity grid in February as planned despite the damage to the EstLink2 power cable. The submarine cable providing electricity between Finland and Estonia will likely be offline for months in order for repairs to be carried out.
Estonian power agency Elering told Finnish news agency STT that Estonia will cut the power connection between it and Russia on February 8, as planned.
In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Baltic countries began to work to disconnect from the power grids of both Russia and Belarus.
🇩🇪/ 🇷🇺
Germany is now demanding that new sanctions be levied against Russia’s ‘shadow fleet.’
German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock said the latest damaged cable in the Baltic is an “important wake-up call.” Baerbock said it is hard to believe that the damaged EstLink2 power cable and nearby data cables were merely a coincidence or an accident.
🇪🇺/ 🇷🇺
The European Union is wading into the ‘shadow tankers’ situation. EU Technology, Security, and Democracy Commissioner Henna Virkkunen told Finnish national broadcaster Yle that the fleet of aging tankers poses serious environmental and security risks. Virkkunen said this was an “absolutely intolerable situation.”
“There are many risks with these old ships. Many state leaders have spoken in favour of the fact that this vessel traffic must be stopped. At the moment, all EU member states consider safety to be our top priority. That's why there are many possibilities for action.”
The EU has a good reason to be concerned about the potential sabotage of undersea infrastructure. 98% of Europe’s international data traffic is routed through submarine data cables. Next year, the EU is investing half a billion euros in restoring and replacing undersea infrastructure.