Finland detained a ship and its crew after a key undersea telecommunications cable connecting the country to Estonia was damaged on Wednesday, authorities said.
Finnish police said in a statement that the vessel suspected of causing the damage was found in Finnish waters with its anchor chain sunk into the sea, and that the damage itself was in Estonian waters. Police later named the ship the “Fitburg,” a cargo ship flying the flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
All 14 crew members of the ship have been detained, Finnish National Police Chief Ilkka Koskimäki told a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, adding that the crew were citizens of Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
Such incidents have become more frequent in recent years, raising suspicions that they are the result of acts of sabotage and prompting NATO to launch a project earlier this year specifically aimed at strengthening protection of critical undersea infrastructure.
The Fitburg left the Russian port of St. Petersburg on Tuesday bound for Haifa, Israel, according to MarineTraffic, which tracks ship movements.
Finnish National Police Chief Ilkka Koskimäki speaks at a press conference in Helsinki, Finland, on Wednesday. – Kimmo Penttinen/Lehtikuva/AFP/Getty Images
After receiving reports of damage, Finnish authorities ordered the ship to stop and weigh anchor before taking control of the vessel, police said.
Finnish media reported that special forces police and the coast guard seized the ship from a helicopter.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the government was paying close attention to developments and that Finland was “prepared to respond to various security challenges.”
Police said they were investigating the incident for aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage and aggravated telecommunications interference.
The damaged cable connects the Finnish capital Helsinki to the Estonian capital Tallinn. While the extent of the damage is unclear, the incident was severe enough to cause a fault detected by Elisa, the Finnish telecommunications provider that operates the link.
Finnish Prime Minister Petri Orpo said he had spoken to his Estonian counterpart Kristin Michal about the matter, adding that the two countries were cooperating on the issue.
Estonia’s Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs said in a statement that the country’s connectivity remains fully supported via other maritime and land cables, ensuring continuity of all services.
A second cable owned by Swedish company Arelion was also damaged, the ministry said.
Disruption model
Since 2023, at least 10 undersea cables in the Baltic Sea have been cut or damaged. Some officials from Scandinavia, the Baltic states and the European Union pointed the finger at Russia. They said the incidents appeared to be part of what experts say is the Kremlin’s hybrid war against the West.
Russia has always denied involvement, but some ships that have caused damage to undersea infrastructure in the past have been found to have links to Russia.
Last year, a Cook Islands-registered vessel dragged its anchor for more than 50 miles on the seafloor, damaging a power cable and several data cables in the Baltic Sea.
Finnish and European officials said the ship, known as the Eagle-S, was part of Russia’s shadow tanker fleet and Finland later brought charges against its crew. However, a Helsinki court dismissed the case in October, saying Finland had no jurisdiction over the issue.
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com
