Finnish police and border guards boarded a Russian-linked ship reportedly packed with “spy equipment” and suspected of destroying a key submarine cable.
Authorities suspect that the oil tanker Eagle S is dragging its anchor, causing the Estlink 2 power connection between Finland and Estonia to break.
In response, NATO is urgently increasing patrols in the Gulf of Finland, a busy seaway also widely used by the Russian navy and commercial shipping.
The photos show how Finnish police boarded the ship from a helicopter.
The Cook Islands-registered 220-metre Eagle S is suspected of being part of the Russian ‘shadow’ or ‘dark’ fleet controlled by Vladimir Putin to evade sanctions.
At first glance it appeared to be a poorly maintained oil tanker, but sources said it was acting as a “spy ship” for Russia, carrying high-tech equipment for radio reconnaissance of NATO ships and aircraft.
“The hi-tech equipment on board was abnormal for a merchant ship and consumed more power from the ship’s generator, leading to repeated power outages,” Lloyd’s List reported, citing a source familiar with the ship.
But it is now being held by the Finns because it is suspected of being behind the latest damage to key submarine cables in the Baltic Sea, in a deliberate attempt to disrupt NATO states backing Ukraine in the war.
When Finnish police seized the Russian-linked ‘shadow fleet’ tanker Eagle S
The photos show how Finnish police boarded the ship from a helicopter
The Eagle S previously dropped “sensor-like devices” into the English Channel during a transit, the British shipping industry publication said.
An unauthorized person – ‘not a seafarer’ – was previously spotted on board, possibly linked to the espionage role.
While it is not clear whether the equipment was in operation during the last trip, the source said it was in place in recent months.
Similar equipment had been installed on another ship, the Honduras-flagged Swiftsea Rider, it was reported.
The Eagle S reportedly slowed and dragged its anchor around the Estlink 2 cable around noon 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 it is our wish to have a stronger NATO presence,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb said.
Rutte said: ‘NATO will increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea.’
Authorities suspect the oil tanker Eagle S is dragging its anchor, rupturing Estlink 2’s power connection, pictured
The Cook Islands-registered 220-metre Eagle S is suspected of being part of Vladimir Putin’s Russian ‘shadow’ or ‘dark’ fleet
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said: ‘Almost every month ships are currently damaging important submarine cables in the Baltic Sea’
Eagle S crude oil tanker flying the flag of the Cook Islands
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said: ‘Almost every month, ships are currently damaging important submarine cables in the Baltic Sea.
“Ship crews drop anchors into the water, drag them along the seabed for miles for no apparent reason, and then lose them as they pull them up.”
She said: ‘This is an urgent wake-up call for all of us. In a digitalized world, submarine cables are the communications 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 being used by Russia to finance its illegal war of aggression in Ukraine.”
The Eagle S is a crude oil tanker built in 2006 and has a deadweight of approximately 74,035 tons.