Finland Identifies Anchor Dragline in Investigation into Cable Damage
The Helsinki Police provided an update on the ongoing investigation into the damage to a subsea telecommunications cable connecting Estonia and Finland. The police reported finding a dragline for an anchor while also cautioning that the investigation is expected to take weeks.
Finland and Estonia are jointly investigating the damage that happened in the Estonian EEZ near the border with the Finnish zone on December 31. Separately, Estonia is also investigating damage to a Swedish-owned cable that also runs to Finland, which was damaged around the same time as the cable owned by Elisa, a Finnish telecom company.
The police report they found a dragline on the seabed that runs for at least 10 kilometers (more than 6 miles). They said they have reason to believe that the Turkish-owned vessel named Fitburg had dragged its anchor on the seabed before. Teams have also been examining the vessel and its anchor for signs of damage.
The Director General of the investigation from the Central Crime Police, Risto Lohi, said they are “assessing intent and the information that influences.” To that end, the reports said they have seized the crew’s phones, and materials have been taken from the ship. The vessel remains detained in Kantvik, Finland.
Finland identified a dragline running more than six miles around the damaged subsea cable (Finnish Border Guard)
The authorities in Finland also reported that they have now formalized the arrest of two crewmembers from the vessel Fitburg. A Russian citizen from the crew of the Fitburg has been arrested on suspicion of the sabotage incident and has been banned from traveling from Finland. A second individual, an Azerbaijani citizen, was also placed under arrest on Sunday and was also banned from leaving Finland. A third crewmember has also been banned from leaving Finland.
Under Finnish law, while the crewmembers remain under suspicion and have not been charged with a crime, the arrests and detention are reviewed on a weekly basis. They are being investigated on suspicion of aggravated damage and attempted aggravated damage. The police said the investigation will continue for weeks, looking at the ship and the conditions underwater.
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The vessel’s owners have retained the same lawyer who represented the tanker Eagle S and the three crewmembers who were charged earlier this year with a similar case of damage when the shadow tanker dragged its anchor on December 24, 2024. The owners of the Fitburg said they cannot comment as they have not yet been able to speak with the crew due to the confiscation of the crew’s phones.
This week, the Finnish Customs Authority is also expected to have additional information on the cargo aboard the Fitburg, which has also been seized. They were reviewing the sanction regulations with the EU. Customs reported the vessel was carrying a load of structural steel from Russia, which it believes is a sanctions' violation.