Three underwater cables severed between Finland and Estonia, Russian shadow fleet tanker detained

Three underwater cables — two owned by Elisa Eesti AS and one by CITIC Telecom CPC — running along the seabed of the Gulf of Finland and connecting Finland with Estonia have been damaged, according to Estonian publication ERR.

The cause of the latest disruption remains unknown. Both companies assured users that service was unaffected, as alternative cables are in place.

Earlier, the power cable EstLink 2, which also connects Finland and Estonia, was reported offline. Finnish police are investigating the possible involvement of a foreign cargo vessel in the incident. According to a report by Yle, citing a police spokesperson, Finnish authorities detained the tanker Eagle S, which departed from Russia’s Ust-Luga port on December 25 at 3:25 a.m. local time. The Financial Times also reported the detention, with the publication's sources, along with the British maritime journal Lloyd’s List, claiming the tanker is part of Russia's “shadow fleet,” used to transport Russian oil across the world in circumvention of a price cap of $60 imposed by the G7, the EU, and Australia.

Finnish authorities were alerted to the EstLink cable damage on the afternoon of Dec. 25. On the night of Dec. 26, police boarded the tanker while it was navigating Finnish territorial waters. Finnish border guards later escorted the vessel to the coast near Porkkala.

Data from MarineTraffic, reviewed by The Insider, revealed that Eagle S slowed its speed by 25% shortly before crossing the cable and nearly stopped at its location. After performing several maneuvers, the vessel resumed its journey, with the entire stop lasting less than 10 minutes.