HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finland's public transport agency said on Wednesday that an oil tanker suspected of damaging undersea cables in the Baltic Sea has serious deficiencies and will not be allowed to operate until repairs are made.
The Baltic countries are on high alert after a series of disruptions to power cables, telecom connections and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The NATO military alliance has said it will increase its presence in the region.
Finnish police seized the Eagle S tanker carrying Russian oil on December 26 and suspect the ship damaged the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and four telecom cables by dragging its anchor across the seabed.
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While the police investigation is ongoing, Finnish authorities also checked the condition of the ship during a port state inspection that concluded on Wednesday.
“Correcting the deficiencies will require repair assistance from outside the ship and will take time,” Maritime Affairs Director Sanna Sonninen of Finnish transport and communications agency Traficom said in a statement.
(Reporting by Anne Kauranen in Helsinki, editing by Terje Solsvik)
