Chinese Ship Yi Peng 3 Investigated for Baltic Sea Cable Breaks

On December 19, Reuters announced that China has allowed representatives from Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Germany to board the Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 (IMO: 9224984). The ship is central to the investigation into cable breaks in the Baltic Sea, Denmark's foreign minister informed on Thursday, December 17.

Two Undersea Cables Damaged

The 75,000 DWT vessel is wanted in Sweden for questioning regarding the damage to two undersea fiber-optic cables on November 17 and 18. The outages include a 218 km cable between Lithuania and Sweden and a 1,200 km link between Germany and Finland, according to the Guardian.

For a month, Yi Peng 3 has been anchored in nearby waters while diplomats in Stockholm and Beijing negotiated the matter.

The investigation quickly focused on the ship, which departed from the Russian port of Ust'-Luga on November 15. Data from Maritime Optima confirms that the vessel's coordinates align with the time and location of the breaches.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen stated on December 19 that Denmark had arranged a meeting earlier that week with representatives from Sweden, Finland, Germany, and China. This helped break a month-long deadlock.

 “It is our expectation that once the inspection has been completed by this group of people from the four countries, the ship will be able to continue its journey to its destination,” Løkke Rasmussen said.

Suspicions of Potential Sabotage

Swedish police explained in a statement that they participated on board the ship only as observers, while Chinese authorities conducted the investigation.

“Meanwhile, the Swedish investigation into sabotage related to the two cable breaks in the Baltic Sea continues,” the police said. They added that the actions taken on board the ship on Thursday, December 19, were not part of the Swedish-led investigation.

The cable breaches occurred in Sweden's exclusive economic zone. The country is leading the investigation with suspicions of potential sabotage, according to Swedish prosecutors.

Intelligence officials from several Western countries have stated that they are confident the Chinese ship caused both cable breaks. However, they have expressed differing views on whether the breaches were accidental or intentional.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson had urged the ship to return to Sweden to assist in the investigation.

Without elaborating, China’s foreign ministry said that Beijing was in "full communication" with the countries involved in the joint investigation. 

"China is willing to work with relevant parties to 'safely resolve the incident,'" said spokesperson Lin Jian at a press briefing on Friday, according to Reuters.