Finnish police said Friday that technical examinations have reinforced suspicions that an anchor from a Chinese cargo ship caused damage to an undersea gas pipeline in October. After the leak shut down the pipeline between Finland and Estonia on October 8, Finnish authorities investigated the damage they claimed was caused by “external” activity, sparking speculation about possible sabotage.
Authorities previously said the finds pointed to the Hong Kong-flagged Newnew polar bear, and then said in late October that an anchor had been recovered from the seabed.
International legal assistance
According to him, “the same type of paint was also detected on the damaged gas pipeline.” Police also said they had contacted Chinese authorities and requested international legal assistance to clarify the matter. The Swedish government announced in mid-October that it had received information that a telecommunications cable connecting it to Estonia had also been damaged, without being able to identify the cause. The Baltic connecting cable and tube were reportedly damaged.
Natural gas accounts for around 5% of Finland’s energy consumption and is mainly used in industry and combined heat and power production.
Last year, underwater explosions affected three of the four Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, cutting off an important supply route to Europe from Russia, at a time of intense tensions between Moscow and the West over the war in Ukraine. The cause of this sabotage remains unknown.
Source: BFM TV
