Captain and Boatswain Go on Trial in Finland for Anchor Dragging Incident
Finnish prosecutors are back in court seeking to hold a captain and a boatswain from a cargo ship responsible for dragging the vessel’s anchor across the Gulf of Finland and damaging critical undersea cables and a gas pipeline. It is the second case Finland has prosecuted, asserting the crews were aware of their actions and denied it when confronted by the Finnish Border Guard.
This case involves a small, Turkish-owned cargo ship, Fitburg (9,800 dwt), which had departed Russia reportedly bound for Israel with a cargo of steel products. The general cargo ship is 132 meters (433 feet) in length and registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Early in the morning on December 31, 2025, Finnish telecommunications and technology company Elisa reported a fault on one of its lines between Estonia and Finland, followed a short time later by a similar report by another technology company, Arelion. The Border Guard quickly identified the Fitburg as the suspect and contacted the ship. The crew denied any problems, but the Border Guard then observed the ship from a helicopter and saw that it appeared that one of the anchors was down. It contacted the ship, instructing it to stop and raise its anchor, and then the vessel was boarded by the police. It was brought to Finnish waters and detained.
The investigation found drag marks on the seafloor consistent with the ship’s anchor and damage to a total of eight cables and pipelines, interrupting electric, gas, and telecommunications. Investigators said the vessel had dragged its anchors for at least 130 kilometers (80 miles).
The ship had a crew of 14 from Russia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan. Initially, prosecutors named four of the crewmembers as suspects, but so far have only charged the Russian captain, Andrei Maksimenko, and an unnamed Azerbaijani boatswain with aggravated sabotage and aggravated interference with telecommunications. Media reports say they each face up to two and a half years in prison if found guilty.
Making their first appearance in the Helsinki District Court on Tuesday, they asserted that they believed the anchor was secure. They cited bad weather and icy conditions on the deck of the ship, which made reaching the anchor controls difficult.
Prosecutors are arguing that there were no mechanical faults found during the investigation. The defense, however, points out that the anchor equipment was covered in ice and mud.
The captain asserted that he had ordered additional securing wires for the anchors before they left St. Petersburg. He denies acting negligently or intentionally causing damage. The boatswain said he did not have the authority to lower the anchor on his own.
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Lawyers for the defense have been questioning the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case after a similar case was dismissed by the court last year over jurisdictional issues. The court said under UNCLOS the authority to prosecute was with the ship’s flag state or the home country of the crew. The Court of Appeals in Helsinki recently overruled the lower court and ordered the case reopened, saying it ceased to be a maritime accident when the crew denied the anchor was dragging to the authorities and because the results of the damage were in Finland. The District Court on Tuesday said it believed it was competent to proceed with the Fitburg case.
Six hearing days have been scheduled for the court with two additional days in reserve. The ship was released by the Coast Guard after the investigation. Records show it was renamed Finex in March but continues to operate for the Turkish company and is registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
