Chinese ship suspected of damaging Baltic Sea gas pipeline and communication cables

A Chinese ship is suspected of damaging a gas pipeline and communication cables between Sweden, Finland, and Estonia.

Yle reported on this.

The Swedish Navy’s submarine Belos examined the damaged cable, and the analysis showed that the damage was caused by “external mechanical force.”

The location and time of the damage coincide with the passage of the Chinese ship Newnew Polar Bear.

The Finnish criminal police reportedly found a “heavy object” in the sea that could have damaged the gas pipeline.

“The investigation has confirmed that the damage was caused by an external mechanical force, and based on the information available, there is no reason to suspect that the damage to the pipeline was caused by an explosion,” said Criminal Commissioner Risto Lohi, who is leading the investigation.

This object is located deep on the seabed, so it is not yet possible to determine what it is. According to Lohi, the authorities plan to raise the object from the sea and then begin studying it.

As previously reported, on Tuesday, October 10, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö made a statement about the damage to the gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia.

An accident on the Balticconnector subsea gas pipeline connecting Estonia and Finland occurred on the night of October 8. The pipeline was shut down due to a leak.

It became known that the communication cable between Estonia and Finland was also damaged due to deliberate external influence.

Finland is investigating the causes of damage to the gas pipeline in Finnish waters.

The Estonian authorities are investigating the damage to the communication cable in Estonian waters.