Finland’s national prosecutor’s office has charged the captain and first and second officers of the Cook Islands-registered oil tanker Eagle S over the cutting of undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland in December.
According to Reuters, the Georgian and Indian nationals are accused of aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications after allegedly dragging the ship’s anchor for around 90 km across the seabed, damaging the Estlink 2 power cable linking Finland and Estonia as well as four internet lines. The incident caused at least €60 million ($70 million) in repair costs, according to prosecutors.
The defendants deny wrongdoing and argue Finland has no jurisdiction because the incident occurred outside its territorial waters. Finnish authorities say the disruption posed serious risks to energy supply and telecommunications, though services were maintained via alternative routes.
The Baltic Sea region has been on high alert for sabotage following recent outages affecting subsea infrastructure, though accidents remain possible causes.
A United Arab Emirates-based company owns the Eagle S and has previously challenged Finland’s jurisdiction in the matter. The crew members are barred from leaving Finland, and a local court will decide the hearing date and whether the case falls under Finnish jurisdiction, Reuters reports.
