Miles-long anchor drag mark found on Baltic seabed after suspicious cable damage, Finnish investigators say

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNN World/AP

Published 1:54 PM EST, Mon December 30, 2024


HELSINKI, Finland Associated Press — Finnish investigators probing the damage to a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables said they found an anchor drag mark on the seabed, apparently from a Russia-linked vessel that has already been seized.

The discovery heightened concerns about suspected sabotage by Russia’s “shadow fleet” of fuel tankers – aging vessels with obscure ownership acquired to evade Western sanctions amid the war in Ukraine and operating without Western-regulated insurance.

The Estlink-2 power cable, which transmits energy from Finland to Estonia across the Baltic Sea, went down on Dec. 25 after a rupture. It had little impact on services but followed damage to two data cables and the Nord Stream gas pipelines, both of which have been termed sabotage.

Finnish police chief investigator Sami Paila said late Sunday the anchor drag trail continued for “dozens of kilometers (miles) … if not almost 100 kilometers (62 miles).” Paila added to Finnish national TV broadcaster Yle: “Our current understanding is that the drag mark in question is that of the anchor of the (seized) Eagle S vessel. We have been able to clarify this matter through underwater research.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/30/europe/baltic-sea-cable-anchor-drag-russia-intl-latam/index.html

[Unladen Swallow]

1. Putin?

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Finland is part of NATO now

so... would definitely be provocative (and retaliatory).

[IronLionZion]

9. The 3 Baltic countries are also NATO members

so this might count as an attack on NATO

[BumRushDaShow]

10. THAT is the danger

and I think Russia was really pissed at the NATO turn of events (but particularly Finland). So whatever they do has to be done "carefully", given how many resources they have devoted to Ukraine (which ended up cannibalizing their resources originally designated for Syria, resulting in a collapse of their Syrian puppet).

[paleotn]

3. Being a wanker.

He's like an impudent child. No wonder his old KGB superiors stuck him in an East German backwater. Another guy who somehow fell upward.

[DENVERPOPS]

5. Recall

the New designed sub that had to surface because of an a nuclear engine emergency????? It was a really weird looking submarine......our sub experts looked at it, and could only speculate that it was designed to set down, straddling an ocean bottom cable for some nepharious reason....

Ocean ships dragging an anchor also works!!!!!!!!!

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

4. whatever happened to speculation that Putin was ill. why is this monster still breathing?

[Buddyzbuddy]

6. Wishful thinking I guess

[mitch96]

7. Impound the ship if found the culprit. Sell the oil, confiscate the spy equipment on board, sell and scrap the ship

and use the money to fix the cable. Maybe do "anchor inspections" on all ruzzian ships in the Baltic?
I can dream can't I ?
m

[maxsolomon]

12. It was seized.

The value of the ship and cargo won't come near fixing the damage.

[mitch96]

13. "won't come near fixing the damage." It's a start. and And AND if the captain is charged and put in prison

it would be a deterrent for other captains to do the same thing...
Lets see....putin's money or jail?..putin's money or jail?..putin's money or jail?.. let me think on that...
m

[maxsolomon]

14. Putin's money, then a cushy Nordic jail, then

Putin trades some poor kidnapped sap for you.

[cstanleytech]

8. If the EU decides it's an aggressive act could they ban all Russian ships passage to and from the Baltic?

[mitch96]

11. A good review from a Danish Naval analyst on the situation..