Rising tensions: Russian ship detained by Finland over cable damage
According to Helsinki authorities, the Eagle S ship belongs to the Russian "shadow fleet " and was detained by the Finnish border guard. The ship is suspected of damaging the EstLink 2 power cable. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo believes that tankers from Russia's "shadow fleet" pose a "threat to all Baltic and EU countries."
Finnish police reported on Thursday that they have reasons to suspect the Eagle S tanker is connected to the damage of the undersea EstLink 2 power cable. Finnish Customs suspects that the ship belongs to the so-called Russian shadow fleet. This suspicion arises from the fact that this tanker does not have insurance issued by a Western company.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced that the damage to the EstLink 2 power line is "a result of Russia's attack on Ukraine." However, he admitted it is still too early to directly accuse Russia, although "the shadow fleet sails on its behalf."
According to the Finnish government head, the Russian shadow fleet tankers are a "threat to all Baltic and EU countries, and therefore additional ways to stop it are needed."
- The tankers are funneling money into Russia's treasury and its war fund, he stated, emphasizing that nearly 80 ships creating the shadow fleet are currently listed under EU sanctions, but there may be more than 400 similar vessels.
The Eagle S tanker detained by Finnish authorities has not yet been blacklisted.
Source: PAP, WP
