According to Finland’s assessment, a Chinese ship is considered to have caused the damage to the Baltic Sea “Balticonnector” gas pipeline. The investigation has now focused on the Chinese container ship NewNew Polar Bear, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said today. On 8 October, a gas pipeline and telecommunications cable between Finland and Estonia were damaged. Finnish investigators believe sabotage is possible, but have not ruled out the possibility of an accident.
“As part of the criminal investigation, police determined that the movements of the Hong Kong-flagged vessel ‘NewNew Polar Bear’ coincide with the time and location of the damage to the pipeline,” the official said. NewNew Shipping, owner and operator of the NewNew Polar Bear, declined to comment. Ship tracking data shows that a Russian-flagged ship was also there at the same time.
Finnish investigators also stated that “a heavy object” was found on the seabed near the damaged pipeline and that they were investigating whether it was related to the incident. “The investigation confirmed that the damage was caused by an external mechanical force, and based on current knowledge, there is no reason to believe that the damage was caused by an explosion,” the NBI stated.