Finland court denies release of oil tanker suspected in Baltic Sea cable damage News
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Finland court denies release of oil tanker suspected in Baltic Sea cable damage

A Finnish court denied on Friday the release of the oil tanker Eagle S, which was suspected of damaging undersea cables and a power line in the Baltic Sea. The Finnish authorities are also investigating potential sanctions violations involving its Russian oil cargo.

The Helsinki District Court upheld the seizure of the oil tanker, which was suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 power cable and four telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland on Christmas Day. Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confiscated Eagle S and is probing the incident as aggravated arson and interference with telecommunications.

Cable owners, including the firms Fingrid, Elisa and Elering, have also sought the vessel’s seizure to secure compensation claims, with Fingrid estimating damages in the tens of millions of euros. Despite objections from the vessel owner’s lawyer, Herman Ljungberg, who accused authorities of hijacking the ship, the court ruled to keep proceedings confidential for investigative reasons.

Ljungberg criticized the Helsinki District Court’s decision to uphold the ship’s seizure, calling it “incomprehensible.” He argued that Finnish authorities’ actions violate the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and human rights laws, asserting that the seizure occurred unlawfully in international waters. Ljungberg noted the ship’s daily charter cost is $56,000 and stated that if the seizure is deemed unjustified, the applicants will bear the costs. He defended the innocence of the crew and shipping company.

The NBI in its statement, shared it is nearing completion of its undersea investigation into the cable damage linked to the Eagle S tanker, with seabed imaging largely finished. It also shared that repair work on the damaged cables is underway, and forensic samples are being collected.

The statement adds that international cooperation, including with the Cook Islands and Sweden, has been key to the investigation, with assistance from the Finnish Defense Forces and the Border Guard. The Helsinki Police Department is also working with the NBI in the criminal investigation.

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