Finnish court upholds seizure of Russian tanker suspected of cable sabotage
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The Helsinki District Court ruled on Jan. 3 to uphold Finland's seizure of the Russian Eagle S oil tanker, denying an appeal to release the ship and its crew.
Finnish authorities allege the ship damaged a crucial undersea power cable, possibly in an act of sabotage. Estlink 2, a 170-kilometer (106-mile) cable connecting Estonia and Finland, was seriously damaged on Dec. 25.
The Eagle S is believed to be part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," a group of tankers Moscow uses to circumvent sanctions, including a Group of Seven (G7) price cap on Russian oil.
The Helsinki District Court has ruled to keep the tanker under seizure, the Finnish news outlet Yle reported.
Finnish police initially seized the tanker on Dec. 28, considering the vessel to be evidence in a criminal investigation. Caravella LLC FZ, the ship's United Arab Emirates-based owner, applied to the court to have the seizure lifted.
Police requested the trial be held in secret and court documents kept confidential.
Finnish investigators are currently interrogating Eagle S crew members about the alleged incident. Authorities expect the initial phase of the investigation to last several weeks, and for the entire investigation to conclude in several months.
Three Finnish companies are also demanding the seizure of the tanker in order to secure compensation for damage to the cable. These include national grid operator Fingrid, telecommunications firm Elisa, and state-owned network company Cinia.
Following the cable incident, NATO pledged to enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea. Finland joined the military alliance in early 2o23 in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
