A Finnish court has ordered the indefinite seizure of an oil tanker suspected of severely damaging crucial electricity and telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported. The vessel, Eagle S, which sails under the Cook Islands flag, is believed to have damaged the EstLink 2 power cable connecting Finland and Estonia, along with essential telecom lines, on 25 December.
The Finnish authorities suspect the ship is part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”—a network of vessels transporting Russian crude oil and petroleum products in defiance of Western sanctions imposed over the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Finnish customs officials have pointed to evidence linking Eagle S to these clandestine operations.
The Helsinki District Court ruled in favour of Finnish and Estonian energy companies Fingrid and Elering, as well as telecoms provider Elisa, in their claim against the tanker’s owner, Caravella, a United Arab Emirates-based company. The claimants are seeking compensation for the extensive damage caused by the incident.
Earlier in January, Caravella attempted to overturn the seizure order, but the Helsinki court rejected the request. Investigations led by Finnish police revealed an anchor trail extending several dozen kilometres along the seabed, further implicating the Eagle S in the damage.
As part of ongoing legal proceedings, Finnish authorities have imposed a travel ban on nine of the ship’s 24 crew members, preventing them from leaving the country. The tanker remains detained near Helsinki as the legal battle unfolds.
This latest incident follows a series of similar disruptions in the Baltic Sea. In October, Swedish telecommunications cables suffered damage under unclear circumstances. The Baltic region has increasingly become a focal point of security concerns, with European leaders drawing a connection between underwater infrastructure disruptions and Russia’s alleged “hybrid warfare” tactics against the West.
In response to growing threats, NATO recently announced plans to bolster its military presence in the Baltic Sea. Western governments have expressed concerns that Russia is employing non-conventional methods to destabilise European energy and communication networks.
However, a recent report by The Washington Post, citing anonymous U.S. and European intelligence sources, suggested that some of these incidents—where commercial ships damage cables with anchors—could be accidental rather than deliberate acts of Russian sabotage. Despite these claims, Finnish authorities remain firm in their investigation against Eagle S and its links to the Russian shadow fleet.