Finland’s public transport agency said on Wednesday that an oil tanker suspected of damaging an undersea cable in the Baltic Sea was found to have serious deficiencies and would not be allowed to operate until repairs were made.
Countries in the Baltic Sea are on high alert after a series of blackouts of power cables, telecommunications networks and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The NATO military alliance said it would increase its presence in the region.
Finnish police on December 26 seized the Eagle S tanker carrying Russian oil and said they suspected the ship had damaged the Finland-Estonia Estlink 2 power line and four telecommunications cables by dragging its anchor across the seabed.
While the police investigation was ongoing, authorities also checked the condition of the ship at a port state inspection, and said on Wednesday they found 32 errors, including in fire safety, navigation equipment and pump room ventilation.
“Operation of the vessel is prohibited until the deficiencies are corrected,” Maritime Affairs Director Sanna Sonninen at Finland’s Transport and Communications Agency Traficom said in a statement.
Fixing these deficiencies requires outside help and takes time, he added.
Finnish lawyer Herman Ljungberg, who represents the ship’s owner, United Arab Emirates-based Caravella LLC FZ, said the inspectors’ findings should have been conveyed first to the company and the ship before being shared with the public.
Lawyers said that the alleged damage to the underwater equipment on board occurred outside Finland’s territorial waters and the country had no jurisdiction to intervene.
A Finnish court last week rejected a request for the ship’s release.
Finnish police said they ordered a travel ban for eight crew members as part of the investigation.
Finland’s customs service said it believed the Eagle S was part of a shadow tanker fleet used to evade sanctions on Russian oil, and had seized its cargo.
Moscow says Finland’s seizure of the ship is not Russia’s business.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Anne Kauranen in Helsinki and Louise Rasmussen in Copenhagen, editing by Terje Solsvik and Toby Chopra)
