Finland says Russian shadow fleet tanker crew planned more cable sabotage before arrest

Finnish authorities revealed on 13 January that the crew of the Russian “shadow fleet’s” oil tanker Eagle S suspected of damaging undersea cables was preparing to target additional infrastructure when the vessel was intercepted, Reuters reported.

Baltic Sea nations have remained on high alert following multiple power cable, telecom link, and gas pipeline incidents since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. NATO member states around the Baltic Sea are scheduled to meet in Helsinki on Tuesday to discuss the alliance’s response to these threats.

According to Risto Lohi of the National Bureau of Investigation, the Cook Islands-registered tanker Eagle S, carrying Russian oil, threatened to damage the Estlink1 power cable and BalticConnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia when authorities boarded the vessel on 26 December.

“There would have been an almost immediate danger that other cables or pipes related to our critical underwater infrastructure could have been damaged,” Lohi told Reuters.

The vessel is already suspected of damaging the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and four telecoms cables by dragging its anchor across the seabed for more than 100 kilometers.

Finnish investigators expanded their probe to include a ninth crew member as a suspect, all under travel bans. The captain is Georgian, with crew members from India and Georgia, Lohi said.

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