An alleged Russian “shadow fleet” tanker suspected of damaging Baltic Sea cables in December was barred from sailing after Finnish inspectors found the vessel was unseaworthy, authorities said Wednesday.
The Eagle S ship, sailing under the Cook Islands flag, had already been seized by Finnish authorities on December 28 as part of its criminal investigation into suspected sabotage.
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“Based on the deficiencies found during the inspection, Traficom has detained the vessel, meaning the vessel must not be operated until the serious deficiencies have been rectified,” said the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom).
The inspection revealed 32 deficiencies, many of them linked to shortcomings in the vessel’s safety management system.
Three of the deficiences were so severe that the vessel has now been barred from leaving Finland until they have been fixed, Traficom said, referring to the vessel’s fire safety, navigation equipment and pump room ventilation.
“Rectifying the deficiencies will require external assistance for repairs and will take time,” said Sanna Sonninen, director general of Traficom’s maritime sector.
On December 25, the EstLink 2 electricity cable and four telecom cables linking Finland and Estonia that lie on the Baltic seafloor went offline after suspected sabotage.
The incident occurred just weeks after other cables in the Baltic Sea were severed in similar incidents that experts and politicians say are part of a hybrid war between Russia and Western countries.
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Suspicion over the Christmas Day incident has fallen on the Eagle S, an oil tanker thought to be part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” -- ships that carry Russian crude oil and petroleum products embargoed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The often ageing vessels operate under dubious ownership or without proper insurance.
The vessel is anchored in Porvoo, a town east of Helsinki.
Finnish authorities have banned eight crew members from leaving Finnish territory pending the police investigation.
Police said on December 29 they had found a drag trail stretching dozens of kilometres (miles) along the seabed.
Investigators suspect that the cables were damaged after the tanker’s anchor was dragged over them.
On Tuesday, police said the Eagle S anchor had been recovered.
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