Dec. 27 (UPI) — A vessel delivering oil for Russia was seized by Finnish authorities in connection with an undersea cable cutting incident that disconnected electricity to Estonia as concerns over similar incidents in European waters mount.
The Police of Finland said it took into custody Thursday the Eagle S, which is registered in the Cook Islands. The seizure is part of an investigation into where the Estlink 2 power transmission cable ruptured Wednesday.
The Eagle S, which was traveling from St. Petersburg, Russia to Port Said, Egypt, was stopped in Finnish waters.
A Finnish customs official said the tanker most likely belongs to what is known as the Russian shadow fleet, which provides oil exports from Russia to circumvent sanctions by Western nations.
Estlink 2 allowed Finland to provide electricity to Estonia. The police said the case is being probed as an act of criminal mischief. The European Commission said the act is a continuation of suspected attacks on its critical infrastructure.
“We strongly condemn any deliberate destruction of Europe’s critical infrastructure,” the European Commission said. “The suspected vessel is part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia’s war budget. We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to target this fleet.”
The shadow fleet, which has become prevalent since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and following Western sanctions, consists of numerous unmarked oil tankers flagged by different countries, which makes them difficult to track by common means.