Finnish authorities have detained the Eagle S, a Russia-linked ship, amid investigations into whether it damaged a Baltic Sea power cable and multiple data cables.
According to Helsinki Police Chief Jari Liukku, Finnish police and border guards boarded the vessel on Thursday, taking control of the command bridge.
The ship remains in Finnish territorial waters pending further inquiries into the suspected infrastructure disruption.
The Eagle S is flagged in the Cook Islands, but was described by Finnish customs officials as a suspected part of Russia’s shadow fleet of fuel tankers, Yle television reported. Those are aging vessels with obscure ownership, acquired to evade Western sanctions amid the war in Ukraine and operating without Western-regulated insurance.
The Eagle S anchor is suspected of causing damage to the cable, Yle reported, relying on police statements.
The Estlink-2 power cable, which brings electricity from Finland to Estonia across the Baltic Sea, went down on Wednesday. The incident follows damage to two data cables and the Nord Stream gas pipelines, both of which have been termed sabotage.
“Our armed forces have strengthened surveillance and are monitoring the situation,” she said on X. “The Baltic states currently have sufficient energy production capacity, although we are challenged by the Baltic Sea cable incidents.”