After Estlink 2 cable damage, Finnish police discover 60-mile anchor drag mark on Baltic seabed
Finnish police have discovered an anchor drag mark on the Baltic seabed where the Estlink 2 power cable was damaged on December 25, Finnish news agency Yle reported on Sunday, citing a police statement.
“The drag mark stretches for dozens of kilometers. The exact point where the anchor was lowered has not yet been determined,” the statement said.
Sami Paila, detective chief inspector of Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, told Yle that the mark was likely caused by the anchor of the oil tanker Eagle S, part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. “We were able to determine this through underwater investigations,” Paila said.
“The mark ends where the vessel raised its anchor chain, and from that point eastward, it stretches for several dozen kilometers, if not nearly 100 kilometers [62 miles],” he added.
The investigation of the seabed has been temporarily suspended due to poor weather conditions.
Finnish authorities suspect that the Eagle S, which sails under the Cook Islands flag, damaged the Estlink 2 power cable and four communication cables in the Gulf of Finland on December 25. The tanker is currently being held near Porvoo, Finland, and its crew is being questioned.
The Eagle S is part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which transports Russian oil in violation of Western sanctions. According to the British publication Lloyd’s List, the tanker was previously equipped with surveillance devices used to monitor NATO naval and air forces.
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