Finland's deputy prosecutor general has charged the captain and two officers of the oil tanker Eagle S with aggravated vandalism and aggravated interference with telecommunications over damage to undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland, the National Prosecution Authority said Monday, reported Xinhua.
The Cook Islands-registered vessel allegedly dragged its anchor for about 90 km in December 2024, damaging five cables, including the EstLink 2 power link between Finland and Estonia, which is a key connector in the Baltic and Nordic energy markets, as well as four telecommunications cables, investigators said.
The prosecution authority added that the breakage of ultra-high-capacity transmission and telecommunications cables also posed a serious threat to Finland's energy supply and communications services.
Repair costs are estimated at 60 million euros, according to the prosecution authority.
The three defendants have denied any wrongdoing, arguing that Finland lacks jurisdiction because the cables were damaged outside Finnish territorial waters.
They have been banned from leaving Finland since the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) launched its probe in December. The Eagle S, detained during the onset of the investigation, was released in early March.
The Helsinki District Court will hear the case, with a state prosecutor, a special prosecutor, and a regional prosecutor assigned to handle the trial.
National broadcaster Yle reported that the trial is expected to begin within two weeks because of the travel ban.
Earlier on January 9, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom inspectors found 32 deficiencies in the Eagle S. Three of the deficiencies were so serious that they led to the ship being detained.
On January 6, anchor of the Eagle S has been recovered from the Gulf of Finland.
On December 31, 2024, seven staff members of tanker Eagle S whose status in the criminal investigation is that of a suspect have been subjected to a travel ban.
Police on December 28, transferred the Eagle S tanker, the suspect of Estlink 2 submarine cable damage from the Gulf of Finland to the Svartbeck inner anchorage near Porvoo.
Finnish authorities suspected the Eagle S, a tanker registered in the Cook Islands for its involvement in the rupture of the Estlink 2 submarine power transmission cable between Finland and Estonia on December 25.
The electricity transmission cable has been cut in the sea area in Finland's exclusive economic zone in the Gulf of Finland, about 55 km south of Loviisa.
- Eagle S tanker
- Crew
- Charged
- Cable damage
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
