A view of the Balticconector pipeline because it is pulled into the ocean in Paldiski, Estonia in an undated handout picture taken in 2019. ELERING/Handout through REUTERS Acquire Licensing Rights
HELSINKI/VILNIUS, Oct 20 (Reuters) – An investigation into the damage to the Balticonnector gasoline pipeline is at present centered on the function of the Chinese NewNew Polar Bear container vessel, Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) stated on Friday.
Early on Oct. 8, a gasoline pipeline and a telecoms cable connecting Finland and Estonia had been damaged, in what Finnish investigators stated could have been sabotage, although they’ve but to conclude whether or not it was an accident or a deliberate act.
On Tuesday, Sweden stated a 3rd link, connecting Stockholm to Tallinn, had been broken at roughly the identical time as the opposite two.
“The police have established in the criminal investigation that the movements of the vessel NewNew Polar Bear flying the flag of Hong Kong coincide with the time and place of the gas pipeline damage,” NBI stated in a press release.
“For this reason, the investigation is now focused on the role of the said vessel,” the Finnish investigators added.
Following Finland’s NBI assertion, Estonian investigators, who’re additionally wanting into the telecoms cable incidents, stated they had been nonetheless two ships, the NewNew Polar Bear and Russia’s Sevmorput.
“We have identified that during the incidents, the vessels NewNew Polar Bear and Sevmorput were in the area. We are still investigating whether or not these vessels had anything to do with the damage,” they stated in a press release to Reuters.
Only these two ships had been current in any respect three incident websites across the approximate time when the damage occurred, based on vessel monitoring information reviewed by Reuters.
‘HEAVY OBJECT’
Finland’s NBI stated “a heavy object” was discovered on the seabed close to the pipeline damage and had been investigating whether or not this was linked to the incident.
“The investigation has confirmed that the damage has been caused by an external mechanical force, and based on current knowledge there is no reason to believe the damage has been caused by an explosion,” Detective Superintendent Risto Lohi stated within the assertion.
A lately shaped “huge clump of soil” deep within the clay seabed was believed to comprise a particularly heavy object, and was the topic of investigation, the NBI stated.
“Attempts will be made to lift the object from the sea for technical examination,” Lohi stated.
NewNew Shipping, the proprietor and operator of the NewNew Polar Bear, declined to remark when contacted by Reuters.
INCIDENTS
Separately, Finland’s overseas ministry stated on Friday it had contacted China and Russia through diplomatic channels relating to the investigation of damage to a pipeline and a telecoms cable.
The Finnish overseas ministry, in a press release to Reuters stated it had contacted China to hunt assist to get in contact with the NewNew Polar Bear.
Regarding Russia, Finland contacted the Russian overseas ministry “stating the seriousness of the matter” and that an investigation had been launched.
A second telecoms cable, linking Sweden and Estonia, suffered a partial outage at across the identical time, which can even have been attributable to outdoors affect, Swedish and Estonian authorities have stated.
The incidents have stoked considerations in regards to the safety of power provides within the wider Nordic area and prompted the NATO navy alliance to ramp up patrols within the Baltic Sea.
Russia’s Rosatom stated the Sevmorput had no link to any of the pipeline damage.
“We categorically reject as groundless any suggestions that a Rosatom-operated ship may have been in any way connected to the Balticconnector pipeline incident in the Gulf of Finland on October 8,” Rosatom stated in a press release to Reuters.
“It passed through the Gulf of Finland, an area of intense maritime traffic, without stopping or slowing down, maintaining an average speed of 14.5 knots. The crew did not observe or record anything unusual, suspicious, or otherwise reportable.”
Reporting by Anne Kauranen, further reporting by Beijing and Moscow newsrooms, writing by Terje Solsvik, enhancing by Gwladys Fouche, Alex Richardson, Jonathan Oatis and Jane Merriman
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
