The trial of three crew members from an oil tanker accused of cutting undersea power and internet cables in the Baltic Sea began in Helsinki on Monday. The men, who face prison terms, have blamed technical faults for the damage.
The incident happened on December 25, 2023, when five cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea. NATO allies stationed around the region went on high alert after the disruption, as it was one of several suspicious incidents involving cables and pipelines in the Baltic since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Prosecutors said the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S tanker dragged its 11,000 kg (24,250 lb) anchor along the seabed, cutting through the Estlink 2 electricity cable between Finland and Estonia as well as four telecom cables. The tanker had been sailing from a Russian port through the Gulf of Finland when the damage occurred.
Finnish security forces intercepted the vessel after
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