Finnish Investigators Find Anchor Drag Mark on Seabed, Suspecting Russian-Linked Vessel Sabotage
Finnish investigators probing the damage to a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables have found an anchor drag mark on the seabed, apparently from a Russia-linked vessel that has already been seized. The discovery has heightened concerns about suspected sabotage by Russia’s “shadow fleet” of fuel tankers.
The Estlink-2 power cable, which transmits energy from Finland to Estonia across the Baltic Sea, went down on December 25 after a rupture. The damage was attributed to a suspected anchor drag mark, which continued for dozens of kilometers, or almost 100 kilometers.
Finnish police chief investigator Sami Paila said that the anchor drag trail was believed to be from the seized Eagle S vessel, which is part of Russia’s shadow fleet of fuel tankers. The vessel was escorted to anchorage in the vicinity of the port of Porvoo to facilitate the investigation.
The Eagle S is flagged in the Cook Islands but was described by Finnish customs officials and the European Union executive commission as part of Russia’s shadow fleet of fuel tankers. Russia’s use of the vessels has raised environmental concerns about accidents given their age and uncertain insurance coverage.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that the military alliance will step up patrols in the Baltic Sea region in response to the suspected sabotage. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas vowed that the EU would “take stronger measures to counter the risks posed” by vessels of Russia’s shadow fleet.
The incident has raised concerns about the increasing frequency of sabotage attempts in Europe, particularly in the Baltic Sea region. Finland, which shares a border with Russia, joined NATO in 2023 amid Russia’s war against Ukraine.