1 month ago
26
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Finland seized an oil tanker that authorities believe might have deliberately cut vital undersea cables. Finnish authorities believe the tanker may be linked to Russia.
By Johanna Lemola and Lynsey Chutel
Johanna Lemola reported from Helsinki, Finland, and Lynsey Chutel from London.
Dec. 27, 2024Updated 12:21 p.m. ET
A day after Finnish authorities seized an oil tanker suspected of severing vital undersea cables, NATO said on Friday that it would step up security in northern seas and the European Union threatened new sanctions against Russia amid growing concern about a covert campaign to sabotage European infrastructure.
The authorities in Finland said they had confiscated material from onboard the ship, the Eagle S, an aging oil tanker registered in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. The vessel is being held under police and naval guard in the Gulf of Finland, the police said Friday.
The authorities said the tanker may be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” which President Vladimir V. Putin has used to circumvent Western-imposed sanctions on Russian oil exports and to conduct acts of sabotage.
The five cables, including a cable that carries power from Finland to Estonia, as well as four other cables carrying data were damaged before the tanker was seized on Thursday. An analyst said the use of such tankers to intentionally sabotage European infrastructure would be an unusual escalation by Russia.
Here’s what we know about the seizure in the Baltic Sea.
How did the seizure unfold?
Finland’s energy grid operator, Fingrid, alerted the police that an undersea power cable, Estlink 2, had been damaged on Wednesday. The power company had no idea what happened, but police officials suspected it followed a pattern of similar incidents in the last year.
