Cooperation with the crew has gone well, says Jari Liukku at the Finnish police at a press conference on Thursday.
The vessel, which is said to be 230 meters long and is anchored in Finnish waters, is believed to have been in Russia where it was loaded with 35,000 tons of lead-free gasoline. The police say they have not been in contact with or will be in contact with Russia.
The police suspect that it is the vessel's anchor that has caused the damage to the Estlink 2 power cable and questioning of the crew is ongoing. It is unclear what nationality the crew has.
Gross sabotage
The police have not seen the cable itself but are investigating suspected gross sabotage. They do not want to answer whether the damage could have occurred by accident but note that external violence has occurred and therefore there are suspicions of external influence.
The vessel is suspected of belonging to the Russian shadow fleet. Customs also suspect that the vessel is violating sanctions against Russia and have launched a preliminary investigation into gross regulatory offenses.
Multiple damaged cables
The cable break in the Estlink 2 power cable on the Finnish side of the Gulf of Finland occurred at 12:26, Finnish time, on Christmas Day. On Boxing Day, it emerged that additional data cables between countries had been damaged.
The conditions for a successful investigation are, according to the Finnish police, "excellent".
At a press conference on Thursday, Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo says he has been in contact with colleagues in, among others, the Nordic countries, the Baltic States, Poland, NATO, and the EU.
Orpo says that at present, no conclusions are being drawn about Russia's involvement in the incident – but notes that the shadow fleet sails for Russia.
The shadow fleets also pose a significant risk to other Baltic Sea countries and the EU, says Orpo.
He further says that the Russian shadow fleet finances the Russian war chest and must be stopped.
