Oil tanker’s anchor recovered by Sweden after Baltic cable damage

The anchor of the Eagle S oil tanker has been recovered from the bed of the Baltic Sea during an inquiry into the ship’s possible involvement in sabotage of maritime energy and communication cables.

The EU says the tanker belongs to the so-called Russian shadow fleet. This refers to tankers and other cargo ships that Russia uses to circumvent sanctions imposed for its invasion of Ukraine, for example when transporting oil.

Finnish authorities confiscated the tanker’s anchor with the help of a specialized Swedish vessel, the Yle public broadcaster reported on Tuesday, citing the Swedish Navy.

On December 25, a power line running between Finland and Estonia was damaged in the Gulf of Finland.

Damage was also found on four communication cables, including the C-Link1 fibre optic cable between Helsinki and the German port of Rostock, which was already damaged in a similar incident in November.

The Cook Islands-flagged Eagle S was stopped by the Finnish authorities shortly after the incidents, impounded and brought to an anchorage east of Helsinki.

It is suspected of having deliberately caused the damage with its anchor. However, the anchor was missing when the authorities seized the ship.

The Finnish criminal police have launched a sabotage investigation and issued travel bans against crew members, among other things.