Finnish and Estonian authorities suspect the Fitburg was involved in deliberately damaging an underwater cable in the Baltic Sea on New Year’s Eve.
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The Fitburg cargo vessel was escorted out of Finnish territorial waters at 11am on Monday. Image: Toni Määttä
Finnish authorities have lifted the seizure order on the Fitburg cargo vessel, which is suspected of damaging an undersea cable in the Gulf of Finland on New Year’s Eve.
In a statement released on Monday, the Finnish Border Guard said the ship was escorted out of Finland’s territorial waters from Kantvik port in Kirkkonummi at around 11am.
Risto Lohi, who is leading the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) preliminary probe into the incident, said that both Finnish and Estonian police have completed their investigations, which is why the seizure could be lifted.
“Helsinki District Court yesterday, Sunday, detained a crew member of the Fitburg vessel in a new hearing. Some of the crew remain under a travel ban,” Lohi added.
Last week, Finnish police applied to remand one crew member in custody, which the court granted on Sunday, while three others have been placed under a travel ban.
The reasons for the suspect to be further detained were also upgraded from reasonable suspicion to probable cause.
Fitchburg’s crew consisted of a total of 14 members — who are citizens of Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan — and it sailed under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Finnish authorities took control of the vessel on New Year’s Eve in the Gulf of Finland amid suspicions that the ship, which was en route from Russia to Israel, deliberately damaged a telecommunications cable by dragging its anchor along the seabed.
The incident is being investigated as suspected aggravated criminal damage, suspected attempted aggravated criminal damage, and suspected aggravated interference with telecommunications.
There have been a spate of similar incidents in the Baltic Sea in recent years, in which vessels are suspected of deliberately damaging underwater cables. Yle News reporter Matt Schilke compiled this report last week on the phenomenon.