Finland Seizes Ship Carrying Russian Oil After Undersea Cable Cut

Finland on Thursday seized a ship carrying oil for Russia in relation to the recent cutting of an undersea cable connecting electricity to Estonia as concern mounts over ships disrupting power and gas lines in European waters.

Finland's national law enforcement body, the Police of Finland, said in a statement it had seized a Cook Islands-registered ship called the Eagle S.

The ship is suspected in the rupturing of the Estlink 2 power transmission cable connecting electricity between Estonia and Finland, but police said at this time the investigation is looking at the incident as "aggravated criminal mischief."

The power cable was disconnected on Wednesday, according to Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, who said at the time that authorities were "on standby over Christmas and are investigating the matter."

European officials said the ship is suspected of carrying Russian oil, part of a vast shadow fleet Moscow is using to circumvent western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine.

The European Commission said the disruption "is the latest in a series of suspected attacks on critical infrastructure."

"We strongly condemn any deliberate destruction of Europe’s critical infrastructure," officials said in a statement. "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 European Commission said it would move to strengthen undersea cable protection through increasing related detection methods, information sharing and repair work.

Finnish leaders have also expressed concern about Russia's alleged connection to the cutting of the cable.

"It is necessary to be able to prevent the risks posed by ships belonging to the Russian shadow fleet," wrote Finnish President Alexander Stubb on the social media platform X.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal urged the European Union and the western security alliance NATO to increase cooperation on efforts to protect undersea cables.

The incident follows a concerning trend in the west of undersea cable disruptions in Europe.

A Chinese ship called the Yi Peng 3 is suspected of rupturing undersea cables last month linking Sweden and Lithuania and another connecting Germany and Finland.

The Chinese ship recently left European waters despite ongoing investigations into the matter, as officials have accused the vessel of dragging an anchor to cut the line, although they are still investigating whether it was on accident or on purpose.

A Hong Kong-registered ship was also responsible for cutting a critical gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland last year.