Critical Infrastructure Security
,
Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks
,
Fraud Management & Cybercrime
Suspect Crew Members of the Eagle S Cannot Leave the Ship
Akshaya Asokan (asokan_akshaya) •
January 2, 2025
The Eagle S and the Finnish Coast Guard OPV Uisko in a photo dated Dec. 28, 2024. (Image: Police of Finland)
Finnish police say they’ve identified as suspects eight crew members of an oil tanker linked to a Russian “shadow fleet” of sanctions busting ships in an investigation into an incident that broke submarine cables in the Baltic Sea.
Finnish authorities escorted the tanker, the Eagle S, into Finnish waters after it allegedly dragged its anchor to break telecommunications and electricity cables linking Finland with Germany and Estonia (see: Finland Boards Tanker Suspected of Rupturing Undersea Cables).
Police initially identified seven crew members as persons of interest in a criminal investigation, subjecting them to a travel ban – a measure less severe than arrest or physical detection. Finnish press Thursday reported the number increased to eight total, and that the travel ban restricts the suspects from leaving the ship. The Eagle S has a 24-member crew consisting mainly of Georgian and Indian nationals. The ship is currently anchored in the oil port of Kilpilahti, east of Helsinki.
The Eagle S, registered in the Cook Islands and reportedly operated by United Arab Emirates-based Caravella LLC-FZ, departed the Russian port of Ust-Luga on Dec. 25, allegedly slowing passage in the Baltic Sea to sever the Estlink 2 power transmission cable and telecommunication cables. Estlink 2 is part of Estonia’s long-planned effort to disconnect from the Russian electricity grid. Estonian authorities said the disruption will not delay synchronization this year with the European grid.
The incident is the latest case of suspected Baltic submarine cable sabotage as Russia seeks to test NATO allies over their support of Ukraine, which is close to starting its four year of repelling a Russian war of conquest. In November, China-flagged bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 allegedly damaged telecommunication cables connecting Nordic countries across the Baltic Sea. Lloyd’s List reported that the Yi Peng 3 ultimately departed the Baltic on Dec. 21 after spending a month there as regional governments investigated.
The Helsinki District Court on Thursday began hearing a plea by the lawyers representing Caravella to revoke its seizure. On Thursday, Fingrid, Finland’s transmission system operator called for the seizure of the tanker.