havefun888 Finnish police move ship probed over Baltic cable cuts

This handout picture released by The Finnish Border Guard on December 26, 2024 shows a Finnish Border Guard’s ship Turva (front) and the oil tanker Eagle S on the sea near Porkkalanniemi. – Finnish authorities said on December 26, 2024 that they were investigating an oil tanker that sailed from a Russian port for the “sabotage” of a power cable linking Finland and Estonia that was damaged the previous day. (Photo by Handout / Finnish Border Guard / AFP)

Helsinki, Finland — Finnish police on Saturday moved a ship held over suspicions it sabotaged an undersea power cable between Finland and Estonia to help with their investigations.

Since Thursday, Finnish authorities have been investigating the Eagle S tanker, which Helsinki suspects of having Russian connections, as part of a probe into the “aggravated sabotage” of the Estlink 2 submarine cable in the Baltic Sea.

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That cable’s disconnection on Christmas Day was the latest in a spate of incidents Western officials believe are acts of sabotage linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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The Cook Islands-flagged ship was then escorted towards the Finnish coast near Porkkala in the south of the Nordic nation.

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This translated to 0.2 percent of the national government’s proposed P6.35-trillion budget.

Finnish police reported the tanker was moved under escort on Saturday to an inner anchorage in Porvoo, a town some 40 kilometres (25 miles) east of Helsinki.

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“The reason for the transfer is that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has seized Eagle S.”, the police said in a statement.

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Investigations on board were to resume once the vessel had anchored again at its new location.

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“The new location offers a better option for carrying out investigative measures,” the statement added.

Tensions have mounted around the Baltic Sea since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

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The Estlink’s disconnection comes just over a month after two telecommunications cables were severed in Swedish territorial waters in the Baltic.

NATO’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, said on Friday the US-led defence alliance would bolster its military presence in the Baltic Sea in response.

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Finnish customs suspect the Eagle S to be part of the Russian shadow fleethavefun888, referring to ships transporting Russian crude and oil products which are embargoed due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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