Before Finland: Four data cables damaged at Christmas as well as power cables

In addition to an undersea cable for transmitting electricity between Finland and Estonia, four internet cables were damaged off the Finnish coast over the Christmas period, including the recently repaired C-Lion1 cable between Helsinki and Rostock. This was reported by the Finnish broadcaster Yle and the country's communications regulator, Traficom. While there is already a suspect in the case of the disrupted power cable EstLink2, the only information on the internet cables is that the course of events and causes are being investigated. According to Yle, the interruption to the internet connections has not had any major impact so far.

A total of five submarine cables damaged

According to the report, two cables belonging to the Finnish operator Elisa, which connect Finland's capital with Tallinn in Estonia, were affected. Another affected cable between Finland and Estonia belongs to the Chinese company CITIC. C-Lion1 runs through the Baltic Sea past Rügen to the German coast. This cable was damaged just a few weeks ago, presumably by a Chinese freighter. Yle quotes Traficom CEO Jarkko Saarimäki as saying that such submarine cables are typically so robust that interruptions are due to external forces. The repairs are due to start this week, but the exact schedule depends on the weather.

The incidents in the Gulf of Finland are reminiscent of cable faults at the end of November, when two submarine cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged. C-Lion1 was affected at the time. Both cables were repaired within a few days, but the damage may have been caused by the Chinese freighter "Yi Peng 3". The ship then lay at anchor in the Baltic Sea for weeks until investigators from several European countries were allowed on board. The ship then weighed anchor over the weekend and left the Baltic Sea. Considering the legal situation regarding international waters, the authorities in the countries bordering the Baltic Sea largely had their hands tied.

During the Christmas holidays, it first became known that a power cable had been damaged by Estlink2 off the Finnish coast. Finnish authorities detained the tanker "Eagle S" in this context and took command of the ship. The ship is sailing under the Cook Islands flag and was traveling in the area at the time of the cable fault and had slowed down noticeably, writes Yle. Because the ship's anchors had not been hauled in, it is suspected that Estlink2 was damaged. Investigations are therefore being carried out on suspicion of sabotage, but a case of terrorism cannot be ruled out either.

Russia's shadow fleet in the sights

TheEuropean Commission has since stated that the detained tanker is part of the Russian shadow fleet. This includes ships that Russia uses unofficially to circumvent sanctions –, for example in the transportation of oil. "We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to take action against this fleet," says the statement from Brussels. The EU is working with the authorities and stands in full solidarity with Finland, Estonia and Germany. In response, measures to protect the submarine cables are to be stepped up.

(mho)