Key Facts
• December 2024: Submarine cables between Finland and Estonia found damaged.
• August 11, 2025: Finnish prosecutors charged three crew members of a Russian-departing tanker.
• Accusation: Tanker dragged anchor for 90 km, damaging five cables.
• Crew’s defense: Denied charges, claimed incident occurred outside Finnish territorial waters.
• Tanker registered in Cook Islands; crew nationalities undisclosed.
• Context: Baltic Sea cable damages linked to ‘shadow fleet’ evading Russian oil sanctions.
Summary
Finnish prosecutors have charged the captain and two crew members of a tanker that departed from Russia with damaging submarine cables in the Baltic Sea in December 2024. The tanker allegedly dragged its anchor for 90 kilometers, causing damage to five cables connecting Finland and Estonia. The crew denied the charges, arguing the incident occurred outside Finnish jurisdiction. The tanker is registered in the Cook Islands, but the crew’s nationalities remain undisclosed. This case is part of a broader pattern of submarine cable damages in the Baltic Sea since late 2024, with suspicions pointing to the involvement of a ‘shadow fleet’ circumventing sanctions on Russian oil exports.
