Probe into Power Cable Disruption: Foreign Ship Suspected

Finnish authorities are investigating if a foreign vessel was involved in damaging an undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia, after a sudden outage. This disruption, affecting the Estlink 2 interconnector, raises concerns of sabotage amidst heightened tensions in the Baltic Sea region.

Finnish authorities have launched an investigation into the possible involvement of a foreign vessel in the damage to an undersea power cable between Finland and Estonia, following an unexpected outage. The Estlink 2 disruption poses significant power supply challenges as winter approaches.

Emergency meetings are scheduled by both Finnish and Estonian governments to evaluate the situation, amid increased alerts over potential sabotage acts in the Baltic region. Since 2022, there have been multiple disruptions of power cables, telecom links, and gas pipelines, though these also face risks of technical issues or accidents.

The Estlink 2, spanning 170 km, ceased operations on Wednesday afternoon, leaving only Estlink 1 functional. Authorities remain vigilant, with police investigating the incident's timeline and possible foreign ship involvement, akin to previous cases like last month's Baltic Sea telecom cable breaches.

(With inputs from agencies.)