{"id":162647,"date":"2025-08-13T22:27:04","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T22:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/someone-has-cut-five-submarine-cables-in-the-baltic-sea-finland-is-already-pointing-to-a-ship-from-the-shadow-fleet-as-responsible\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T22:27:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T22:27:05","slug":"someone-has-cut-five-submarine-cables-in-the-baltic-sea-finland-is-already-pointing-to-a-ship-from-the-shadow-fleet-as-responsible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/someone-has-cut-five-submarine-cables-in-the-baltic-sea-finland-is-already-pointing-to-a-ship-from-the-shadow-fleet-as-responsible\/","title":{"rendered":"Someone has cut five submarine cables in the Baltic Sea. Finland is already pointing to a ship from the “shadow fleet” as responsible."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Deliberate Sabotage: The Eagle S Incident<\/h2>\n

In the midst of the Christmas season in 2024, \u00a0five submarine cables\u00a0 connecting \u00a0Finland\u00a0 and \u00a0Estonia\u00a0 were maliciously damaged. According to the Finnish Prosecutor’s Office<\/a>, the incident was not an accident; rather, it was orchestrated when an oil tanker dragged its anchor over a distance of approximately 90 kilometers, severing the \u00a0Estlink 2\u00a0 electrical interconnection and four telecommunications cables. Over seven months later, on \u00a0August 11, 2025\u00a0, the Prosecutor’s Office brought forth charges against the captain and two officers of the \u00a0Eagle S\u00a0 ship for aggravated damage and interference in communication, a vessel that European authorities have connected to the shadowy dealings of Russian crude oil.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Initial Discovery<\/h2>\n

On the night of \u00a0December 25, 2024\u00a0, the \u00a0Estlink 2\u00a0 link abruptly ceased operations, followed shortly by failures in four data cables traversing the same \u00a0Gulf of Finland\u00a0 section. Thankfully, alternate routes mitigated a total service collapse. However, the \u00a0technical implications\u00a0 were profound, prompting an immediate investigation focused on the maritime activities in the vicinity of the cable breach.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Uncovering the Evidence<\/h2>\n

Investigators noticed a \u00a090-kilometer groove\u00a0 at the bottom of the Baltic, which was indicative of the damage caused. The damage pattern clearly showed a prolonged groove in the seabed that perfectly aligned with the course of the \u00a0Eagle S\u00a0. Researchers revealed that the navigation data corroborated the ship’s trajectory with the locations of the damaged cables. Furthermore, police managed to recover an anchor whose location coincided with both the \u00a0Eagle S\u00a0 route and the grooves detected, further substantiating the evidence underpinning the charges against the officers involved.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Significance of Estlink 2<\/h2>\n

The \u00a0Estlink 2\u00a0 link is a high-voltage direct current electrical interconnection that serves as a vital junction between \u00a0Finland\u00a0 and \u00a0Estonia\u00a0, operational since December \u00a02013\u00a0. With a maximum capacity of \u00a0650 megawatts\u00a0, it plays a crucial role in balancing electrical demand between the two nations. Following the initial damage, emergency protocols by \u00a0Fingrid\u00a0 and \u00a0Elering\u00a0 were activated to sustain grid stability, with the link returning to service on June 20, 2025, after substantial repairs were completed.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Impact on Telecommunication<\/h2>\n

Besides the power grid disruption, four telecommunications cables were also harmed, affecting data traffic between the two countries. Key affected operators included \u00a0Elisa\u00a0, \u00a0Cinia\u00a0, and a cable managed by \u00a0CITIC\u00a0. While repair initiatives began promptly, lasting several weeks, the Prosecutor’s Office revealed that the owners had incurred direct repair costs amounting to at least \u00a0\u20ac60 million\u00a0. Fortunately, end users experienced no significant service interruptions due to alternative routing options available.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Eagle S: A Shadowy Figure<\/h2>\n

The \u00a0Eagle S\u00a0, marked as an oil tanker registered in the \u00a0Cook Islands\u00a0, had departed from the \u00a0Russian port of UST-Luga\u00a0, transporting oil products and was last detected in the vicinity of the affected cables. Multiple media reports linked its ownership to \u00a0Caravella LLC FZ\u00a0, a company based in the United Arab Emirates. Notably, the vessel is part of the so-called \u00a0“Shadow Fleet,”\u00a0 known for continuing commercial operations despite international sanctions. In fact, the European Union placed \u00a0Eagle S\u00a0 on its sanctions list on May 20, 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Legal Jurisdiction: A Crucial Debate<\/h2>\n

Legal experts have raised questions about whether Finland can prosecute the crew of the \u00a0Eagle S\u00a0, arguing that the cuts occurred outside Finnish territorial waters. Accordingly, some believe Finland lacks jurisdiction for prosecution. However, the Prosecutor’s Office contends that the consequences of the damage were felt within Finland, thereby justifying legal action. The courts in Helsinki now face the critical task of deciding jurisdiction, once which will heavily influence the procedural timelines of the ongoing investigation.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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A Pivotal Moment for Legal Proceedings<\/h2>\n

The forthcoming judicial ruling will undoubtedly set a significant precedent in the realm of international law and \u00a0critical infrastructure protection\u00a0. Should Finnish courts assert authority over the matter, it could mark a crucial moment in Europe’s stance against attacks on vital infrastructure.<\/p>\n


\n
General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deliberate Sabotage: The Eagle S Incident In the midst of the Christmas season in 2024, \u00a0five submarine cables\u00a0 connecting \u00a0Finland\u00a0 and \u00a0Estonia\u00a0 were maliciously damaged. According to the Finnish Prosecutor’s Office, the incident was not an accident; rather, it was orchestrated when an oil tanker dragged its anchor over a distance of approximately 90 kilometers, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":162648,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[6912,8182,675,1823,17878,4191,970,34,10925,1143,7452],"class_list":["post-162647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-baltic","tag-cables","tag-cut","tag-finland","tag-fleet","tag-pointing","tag-responsible","tag-sea","tag-shadow","tag-ship","tag-submarine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}