Finnish authorities have taken control of a vessel suspected of damaging a submarine telecommunications cable in the Gulf of Finland, with 14 crew members taken into police custody, officials said.
In a statement on Wednesday, police said the cable damage was detected earlier in the day and that the Finnish Border Guard located a vessel, Fitburg, whose actions are suspected to be linked to the incident.
Finnish authorities subsequently seized the ship in a joint operation, YLE news agency reported.
The suspected vessel was encountered by the Border Guard’s patrol ship Turva, supported by a helicopter, in Finland’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Estonia
The reported location of the cable damage itself lies in Estonia’s EEZ, according to information provided by Elisa, a telecommunications and digital services company, between Helsinki and Tallinn.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said he had spoken with his Estonian counterpart about the incident.
“I spoke with my Estonian colleague Kristen Michal about the cable damage in the Gulf of Finland. Our authorities are working in good cooperation,” Orpo said on X.
Estonian President Alar Karis also expressed concern over the incident.
“I’m concerned about the reported damage to the subsea cable between Estonia and Finland. Hopefully, it was not a deliberate act, but the investigation will clarify. The Estonian and Finnish authorities are working closely together to gather additional information,” Karis said.