Transport Agency Director-General Sanna Sonninen said the planned inspections would complement the investigations already being carried out by Finnish police and investigators.
“On January 2, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom will begin the inspection,” the statement said, adding that the inspection will be carried out in such a way as not to disrupt the work of other authorities, the police and the public prosecutor’s office.
The Finns, who inspect the tanker “Eagle S”, ask for help from the navy and border guards.
Also today, the Finnish portal site iltalehti.fi reported that units of the Finnish Defense Forces and Border Guards entered the Gulf of Finland at the end of December. The patrol vessel Turva and the mine countermeasures vessel MHC Väterpaa are to assist police in their investigation into damage to the undersea cable between Finland and Estonia.
See also: Cable broken on the ocean floor in the Baltic Sea. “The authorities never sleep”
When asked about the details of the operation, police declined to provide more details than journalists managed to find out. According to their data, until December 27, about 20 ships flying flags of different countries were detained in the Gulf of Finland.
Vandalism in the Baltic Sea. Russia’s hybrid war?
As we reported, the Cook Islands-flagged tanker Eagle S is suspected of damaging the EstLink2 cable connecting Finland and Estonia on December 25th.
On Tuesday, an investigation was launched against seven sailors in the unit and they were barred from leaving the country.
In addition, Eagle S is likely to belong to the so-called following. Shadow Fleet, a group of ships used to transport Russian crude oil and oil products to circumvent sanctions imposed on Moscow.
See also: They stopped gas exports to Europe via Ukraine. “Historical event”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, a number of similar incidents involving damage to or destruction of energy and communications infrastructure have occurred in the Baltic Sea. Experts say this is part of a “hybrid war” between Russia and the West.
On November 17th and 18th, two communication cables were cut in Swedish territorial waters. At the time, the Chinese bulk carrier Yipeng 3 was passing over the cable and is suspected of being involved in the incident.
In response, the European Union announced that it would strengthen protection measures for submarine cables by improving information sharing and leveraging new detection technologies and repair capabilities.
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