Chinese Vessel Yi Peng 3 Linked to Cable Breach Resumes Voyage

On December 21, Reuters reportedthat the Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 (IMO: 9224984) is on the move after being anchored in a nearby Danish shipping lane for over a month. The 75,121 DWT vessel is under investigation following a breach of two fibre-optic cables in the Baltic Sea.

Earlier that week, China allowed representatives from Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Germany to embark the bulkcarrier with Chinese investigators. This marked the end of a month-long diplomatic standoff.

"It has started moving and has said it is going to Port Said in Egypt," a Swedish Coastguard spokesperson told Reuters.

"We are tracking the ship and are in close contact with other concerned authorities," the spokesperson continued.

There was given no further details, and the spokesperson did not share whether any evidence had been found during the investigation. On Thursday December 19, the chair of Sweden’s accident investigation authority Jonas Backstrand, said:

"We are content with the visit onboard, which was relatively open and transparent, and we had the possibility to see what we wanted to see and to talk to the crew members that we wanted to talk with."

The Baltic Sea cables were damaged on November 17 and 18. Boris Pistorius, German Defence Minister stated his assumption of this being a sabotage.

After the breach, investigators quickly focused on the Yi Peng 3, which left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on November 15.

Data from Maritime Optima shows the vessel’s coordinates corresponded to the time and place of the cable breaches.

Vessels in international waters are protected by the "freedom of navigation" principle, which prevents any state from interfering with ships flying the flag of another country.

Denmark, which facilitated an agreement allowing European nations to send representatives aboard, announced on Thursday that the Yi Peng 3 could continue its voyage after the inspection.

Sweden's accident investigation authority stated that it had conducted the inspection in collaboration with a similar Chinese agency, with police officers from Finland, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark present as observers.