Finland inspects Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ tanker suspected in Baltic cable sabotage: What are the developments to this point?

Finnish authorities plan to examine the Eagle S tanker, suspected of being a part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” and concerned within the December sabotage of an undersea energy cable within the Baltic Sea, the nation’s transport company mentioned Thursday (January 2).

The inspection, scheduled for later Thursday, follows an ongoing inquiry by Finnish police into the incident that severed the EstLink2 energy cable connecting Finland and Estonia.

Developments across the incident

On December 25, the EstLink2 submarine cable, carrying electrical energy from Finland to Estonia, was broken.

A day later, on December 26, Finnish authorities introduced they had been investigating the potential involvement of an oil tanker– now identified to be Eagle S– that had sailed from a Russian port in what was described as a “sabotage” incident.

On December 31, Finnish police recognized seven sailors from the Cook dinner Islands-flagged Eagle S tanker as targets of a sabotage investigation.

Authorities banned the crew from leaving the nation. Investigators reported discovering a seabed monitor extending for dozens of kilometers, although the ship’s anchor stays lacking.

Nato and EU’s responses

The European Union (EU) threatened additional sanctions towards Russian vessels.

“The suspected vessel is a part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which threatens safety and the surroundings whereas funding Russia’s conflict finances,” the European Fee and the EU’s international coverage chief, Kaja Kallas, mentioned in a joint assertion.

“We are going to suggest additional measures, together with sanctions, to focus on this fleet.”

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (Nato) chief, Mark Rutte, pledged to bolster navy presence within the Baltic Sea following the incident.

The alliance described the assault as a part of ongoing hybrid warfare concentrating on crucial infrastructure.

The Baltic Sea has seen a number of assaults on power and communications infrastructure since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. These have usually been linked to hybrid warfare techniques:

October 2023: An undersea gasoline pipeline between Finland and Estonia was broken by the anchor of a Chinese language cargo ship.

November 2023: Two telecommunications cables in Swedish waters had been severed. The Arelion cable linking Sweden and Lithuania and the C-Lion 1 cable connecting Finland and Germany had been broken in separate incidents. A Chinese language-flagged bulk service, Yi Peng 3, is suspected of involvement.

September 2022: Explosions ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines carrying Russian gasoline to Europe. Investigations into the trigger are ongoing.

The geopolitical context

Finnish officers, together with EU and Nato leaders, have highlighted the dangers posed by Russia’s shadow fleet, which transports embargoed oil and crude merchandise.

These vessels have been accused of undermining safety whereas funding Moscow’s navy efforts.

Authorities proceed their investigation into the Eagle S and different suspected acts of sabotage within the area.

With inputs from companies