Helsinki Court dismisses cable damage case in Baltic Sea
The Helsinki District Court dismissed the case of cable damage in the Baltic Sea in December 2024, noting that Finnish law could not be applied as part of the investigation of the incident. This was reported on October 3 by the Finnish broadcaster Yle, citing a statement from the court's press service.
The judges ruled that the charges in the Eagle S tanker case, as well as the claims for damages, should be dismissed. According to their findings, the tanker lost its anchor due to a malfunction of the fastening mechanism. Despite the fact that the incident occurred in international waters within the exclusive economic zone of Finland, justice did not have sufficient grounds to apply local legislation.
The competence in this matter belongs to the authorities of the country under whose flag the vessel was sailing, as well as to the States of which the defendants are citizens.
"It is now expected that the Finnish state will have to pay the defendants legal costs in the amount of about €195,000. The court stated that, according to the official incident report, damage to the electrical cable could, in the worst case, trigger an increase in electricity prices and power outages for several hours in various parts of Finland," the article says.
The trial of the crew of the Eagle S oil tanker, the captain and two officers, who allegedly intentionally dragged an anchor across the bottom of the Baltic Sea by cutting the EstLink 2 power cable connecting Finland and Estonia and four Internet lines, has been taking place since August 25. The crew members could face up to 10 years in prison.
The emergency shutdown of the EstLink 2 DC cable between Estonia and Finland occurred on December 25, 2024. On suspicion of the incident, the Finnish police stopped the Eagle S tanker flying the flag of the Cook Islands. As a precaution against disrupting the investigation, seven crew members were banned from leaving the country, and then the eighth was banned.
Later, on March 31, 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported that an investigation into cable damage in the Baltic Sea revealed no evidence of alleged Russian involvement in these incidents.
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