Top image by Aboodi Vesakaran
Finnish prosecutors are considering pressing criminal charges against three senior officers aboard the 74,035-DWT vessel Eagle S (IMO: 9329760), police and the prosecutor said on Friday. The oil tanker was suspected of damaging undersea power and telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea in December 2024.
The tanker, registered under the Cook Islands flag, is believed to have dragged its anchor across the seabed, severing the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia, as well as four internet lines.
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Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) concluded its investigation on Friday, stating that it suspects the three officers of “aggravated criminal mischief” and “aggravated interference with telecommunications”.
"Among the suspects are the master, the chief mate and the second mate, who were responsible for the safe passage, navigation and operation of the vessel. The criminal investigation has examined and assessed, among other things, the extent of their responsibility for the condition of the vessel and the degree to which they should have observed the anchor falling into the sea, stated Head of Investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Sami Liimatainen of the National Bureau of Investigation.
Although subsea infrastructure is also subject to technical malfunctions and outages caused by accidents, the Baltic Sea region has remained on high alert for sabotage following a series of disruptions to power cables, gas pipelines, and telecommunications lines.
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In an interview with Reuters, lead investigator Sami Liimatainen also said that all three individuals have denied any wrongdoing.
A lawyer for the tanker’s UAE-based owner, Caravella LLC FZ, declined to comment on behalf of the crew when asked by Reuters, noting he does not represent the crew.
He previously argued that the damage occurred outside Finland’s territorial waters, questioning Helsinki’s jurisdiction to intervene.
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