Finland Brings Charges Against Cargo Ship Officers
The Finnish Prosecution Service announced on Monday that it is bringing charges against the captain and the bosun of a cargo vessel that damaged several submarine cables in the Baltic Sea on New Year's Eve. The cargo ship, named Fitburg, had been transporting sanctioned steel products from Russia to Israel, according to Finnish Customs.
The ship was seized by Finnish authorities following cable faults detected in the region, and two of its crew were subsequently arrested. The deputy prosecutor general stated that the ship's officers have now been charged with damaging two subsea telecommunications cables and attempting to damage a total of eight other subsea connections.
Damage to Submarine Cables
The ship is believed to have dragged its damaged anchor along the seabed for a distance of at least 130 kilometers, until the vessel's movement was halted by measures taken by Finnish authorities. Both of the defendants have denied committing the offenses and are set to argue that Finland lacks jurisdiction in the case, as the locations of the cable damages are outside Finnish territorial waters.
The date for the hearing of the case, including the issue of Finnish jurisdiction, will be determined by the Helsinki District Court. The country's prosecutors said trial materials will be made public at the beginning of the hearing, unless the District Court decides otherwise.
Similar Incident Involving Russia-Linked Oil Tanker
The seizure of the Fitburg came more than a year after Finnish armed police detained the Eagle S, a Russia-linked oil tanker that damaged multiple cables on Christmas Day 2024. An attempt to prosecute the ship's senior officers collapsed amid legal rulings disputing Finland's jurisdiction over the case.
In that case, the Eagle S was carrying unleaded petrol and diesel from Russia, activity also sanctioned by the European Union, but was allowed to continue on its way as the cargo was being transferred outside of the EU. The cable breaks caused by the Eagle S were among the most scrutinized in a series of recent cable faults in the Baltic Sea that alarmed onlookers who feared they were part of a Russian sabotage campaign.
NATO Response to Cable Faults
In response to these incidents, NATO announced increasing patrols of the Baltic Sea involving frigates and maritime patrol aircraft, as well as a small fleet of naval drones. Officials from several European countries on the North Sea and Baltic Sea previously told Recorded Future News that there is increasing confidence among their governments that the incidents were accidental and not directed by the Kremlin.
One European official said they had been briefed that, on such ships with limited professionalism, incompetent ship-masters often don't want to go through the bother of arguing with the crew to trek out to the bow of the vessel in inclement weather to hoist the anchor and avoid dragging it across the seabed, where most of the damages have occurred.
- The Fitburg cargo ship was transporting sanctioned steel products from Russia to Israel.
- The ship damaged several submarine cables in the Baltic Sea on New Year's Eve.
- The captain and bosun of the ship have been charged with damaging two subsea telecommunications cables and attempting to damage eight other subsea connections.
Source: The Record