Finnish police suspect four people in Gulf of Finland submarine cable damage – crew members of cargo ship Fitburg under investigation
Progress has been made in the investigation of submarine cables damaged in the Gulf of Finland on New Year's Eve. Police suspect four crew members of the vessel, and travel bans have been imposed on some of them.
Finnish police suspect four people in Gulf of Finland submarine cable damage – crew members of cargo ship Fitburg under investigation
The investigation into submarine cable damage that occurred in the Gulf of Finland in the area between Helsinki and Tallinn has taken new turns. Police suspect four crew members of the cargo ship Fitburg of involvement in the incident, which occurred on New Year's Eve last year. The matter is reported by Polish wnp.pl (https://www.wnp.pl/rynki/finlandia-policja-czterej-podejrzani-ws-uszkodzenia-podmorskich-kabli-przez-statek-fitburg,1069321.html).
The vessel was at that time en route from St Petersburg to Israel, and its cargo consisted of Russian steel. According to investigations, the cables likely broke when the ship's anchor was dragged along the sea bed over a distance of several tens of kilometres.
One of the suspects is a citizen of Azerbaijan. Three other crew members, whose nationalities are Russian, Kazakh, and Georgian, have been placed under a travel ban. Police have not yet disclosed what duties the suspects performed on board or whether they are the same individuals.
The damage occurred partly in Estonia's exclusive economic zone, but some of the cables also run through Finnish territorial waters. Finnish authorities, such as the Border Guard and the Defence Forces, directed the vessel, which was sailing under the flag of the Caribbean state of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, to the vicinity of the Finnish coast. The Fitburg was anchored off Helsinki for several days during the investigations.
Police have not ruled out the possibility that the cables were deliberately damaged. An inspection of the vessel showed that the Fitburg, built in 2022, is in technically "normal" condition taking into account its age and meets the requirements of international agreements. No faults that would compromise safety were detected.
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)