Baltic Sea Under Siege: Damaged Cables and Tanker Troubles

An oil tanker, suspected of damaging undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, has been detained due to serious deficiencies. The incidents have escalated security measures among Baltic Sea nations following outages in power lines, telecom links, and pipelines since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Amid mounting tensions in the Baltic Sea, Finland's public transport agency announced the detention of an oil tanker believed to have caused considerable damage to undersea cables. The vessel is barred from operation until necessary repairs are undertaken.

The Baltic Sea region remains on high alert after experiencing multiple outages in power cables, telecom links, and gas pipelines, a trend exacerbated since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In response, NATO has vowed to strengthen its military presence in the area.

Finnish police seized the Eagle S tanker, which was transporting Russian oil, on December 26. They suspect the tanker of damaging the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and four telecommunications cables by dragging its anchor on the seabed. Finnish authorities have conducted a thorough inspection, revealing significant deficiencies that demand external repair assistance, according to Sanna Sonninen, Director of Maritime Affairs at Finland's Transport and Communications Agency.

(With inputs from agencies.)