Finnish police and border guards boarded a Russian-linked ship that was reportedly crammed with ‘spy equipment’ and suspected of vandalising a key undersea cable.
The authorities suspect the oil tanker Eagle S of dragging its anchor to rupture of the Estlink 2 power link between Finland and Estonia.
In response, NATO is urgently boosting patrols in the Gulf of Finland, a busy seaway also widely used by Russian naval and commercial shipping.
The pictures show how Finnish law enforcement boarded the vessel from a helicopter.
The Cook Islands-registered 751-ft long Eagle S is suspected of being part of the Russian ‘shadow’ or ‘dark’ fleet operated by Vladimir Putin to evade sanctions.
To outward appearances it was a badly maintained oil tanker, but sources said it was acting as a ‘spy ship’ for Russia, with high-tech equipment for radio reconnaissance of NATO ships and aircraft on board.
‘The hi-tech equipment on board was abnormal for a merchant ship and consumed more power from the ship’s generator, leading to repeated blackouts,’ reported Lloyd’s List, citing a source familiar with the vessel.
But it is now detained by the Finns amid suspicion it was behind the most recent damage to key undersea cables in the Baltic Sea in a deliberate attempt to disrupt NATO states which are backing Ukraine in the war.
The moment Finnish police seize the Russian-linked ‘shadow fleet’ tanker Eagle S
The pictures show how Finnish law enforcement boarded the vessel from a helicopter
The Eagle S has previously dropped ‘sensors-type devices’ in the English Channel during a transit, said the British-owned shipping industry publication.
An unauthorised person – ‘not a seafarer’ – has previously been spotted on board, possibly linked to the spying role.
While not clear if the equipment was in operation on the latest voyage, this was present in recent months, according to the source.
Another vessel – Honduras-flagged Swiftsea Rider – had similar equipment installed, it was reported.
The Eagle S allegedly slowed and dragged its anchor around the Estlink 2 cable at approximately midday on December 25. Another three cables were also damaged.
‘We have agreed with Estonia, and we have also communicated to NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, that our wish is to have a stronger NATO presence,’ said Finnish president Alexander Stubb.
Rutte said: ‘NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea.’
The authorities suspect the oil tanker Eagle S of dragging its anchor to rupture of the Estlink 2 power link, pictured
The Cook Islands-registered 751-ft long Eagle S is suspected of being part of the Russian ‘shadow’ or ‘dark’ fleet operated by Vladimir Putin
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said: ‘Almost every month, ships are currently damaging important undersea cables in the Baltic Sea’
Eagle S crude oil tanker sailing under the flag of the Cook Islands
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said: ‘Almost every month, ships are currently damaging important undersea cables in the Baltic Sea.
‘Ship crews lower anchors into the water, drag them for kilometres across the seabed for no apparent reason and then lose them when they pull them up.’
She said: ‘This is an urgent wake-up call for all of us. In a digitalized world, undersea cables are the communication arteries that hold our world together.’
Baerbock warned that the ‘decrepit Russian shadow fleet’ poses a serious threat to both the environment and European security.
‘It is used by Russia to finance its illegal war of aggression in Ukraine.’
The Eagle S is a crude oil tanker built in 2006, has a deadweight tonnage of approximately 74,035 tonnes.
