According to preliminary information, “Eagle S” sailed with an unsecured anchor.
The Eagle S flies the flag of the Cook Islands and, according to the British maritime publication Lloyd’s List, is a Russian “shadow fleet” vessel. The “shadow fleet” is used to transport oil from countries under sanctions.
As the minister said, he had a telephone conversation with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Thursday.
In the course of it, underwater infrastructure incidents were discussed, and when commenting on the damage to the electrical cable “EstLink 2” and three communication cables, the minister said that such frequent damage to the underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea cannot be considered accidental.
“Damage to vital underwater infrastructure has become so common that it is hard to believe that it is accidental or simply due to poor navigation. We need to understand that damage to underwater infrastructure has become systemic and should be seen as an attack on our vital structures,” Cahkna said.
According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the investigation of the case is still at an early stage, but it is positive that the Finnish authorities have brought “Eagle S” to the port of Finland for investigation.
Estonia will continue to fully cooperate with Finland, as well as with all other countries around the Baltic Sea, to protect the seabed infrastructure, the minister said.