Cook Islands Suspected oil tanker in the Baltic Sea remains impounded
After damaging a power cable and several communication cables in the Baltic Sea, the oil tanker "Eagle S", which was detained by Finland, is not allowed to leave the country until further notice.
03.01.2025, 16:19
SDA
The ship remains impounded, as decided by the district court in the Finnish capital Helsinki.
The tanker can therefore continue to be investigated by the Finnish authorities, who are investigating the incident on Christmas Day and have also initiated a more detailed inspection to determine whether international operating requirements have been complied with on board.
Communication cable between Helsinki and Rostock also affected
The power line running between Finland and Estonia was damaged in the Gulf of Finland on Christmas Day. Damage was also found on four communication cables, including the C-Link1 fiber optic cable between Helsinki and Rostock, which had already been damaged in a similar incident in November. It is now being repaired again by a special ship.
The "Eagle S" was stopped by the Finnish authorities shortly after the incidents and was impounded after Christmas and brought to an anchorage east of Helsinki. She is suspected of having deliberately caused the damage with her anchor. The Finnish criminal police are investigating the sabotage and have issued travel bans against eight crew members.
The shipping company behind the Cook Islands-flagged vessel, Caravella, had instructed a Finnish lawyer to apply for the tanker to be released by the courts. The operator of the Estlink 2 power line, Fingrid, has meanwhile applied to the court to confiscate the tanker in order to secure its claim for damages in connection with the failure of the undersea cable.
According to the EU, the "Eagle S" is part of the Russian shadow fleet. This refers to tankers and other cargo ships that Russia uses to circumvent sanctions as a result of its invasion of Ukraine, for example in the transportation of oil.
