The oil tanker Eagle S is anchored a few minutes southwest of the Finnish capital Helsinki, after Finnish authorities boarded the vessel and brought it to Finnish waters.
The ship and its crew are being investigated for sabotage of the Estlink 2 power cable, which connects Finland and Estonia and was broken on Christmas Day.
Ilta-Sanomatwho has been on the scene at the anchored ship, reports that the police have begun questioning the crew and collecting material for analysis. The crew consists of 20 people from India and Georgia, and several of them are suspected of crimes, according to Sami Paila.
– Some will be questioned on suspicion of crime, some as witnesses and for some it has not been determined yet, says Paila.
No one in the crew has been taken into custody.
Established air bridge
Paila says the investigation is challenging. Helicopters from the Finnish Defense Forces and the Coast Guard have transported forensic experts to the ship. Personnel are winched down to the boat and up again, which has created what he describes as an “air bridge” between land and the ship.
Paila cannot go into how many are participating in the work, but according to him the investigation is progressing at a good pace.
– We have a good working climate and all authorities are looking in the same direction.
Interruption on Christmas Day
On Christmas Day, a break in the Estlink 2 electricity cable between Finland and Estonia was discovered.
The suspicions were directed at the Cook Islands-flagged vessel Eagle S, which is suspected of being part of the so-called “shadow fleet” – vessels that are over 15 years old, have no known owners and are intended to circumvent sanctions.
EPN reported on Thursday that the Marine Traffic website could see the vessel slowing down while the power supply was cut while in the area.
Anchor missing
On Boxing Day, Finnish authorities boarded the ship and brought it to Finnish waters to investigate the suspected cable break.
Upon boarding, the crew was ordered to show the ship’s anchor, and the visual inspection revealed details that raised suspicions that an anchor may have damaged the cables. In pictures from Ilta-Sanomat you can see how an anchor in the bow is missing from the ship.
The police have announced that they are investigating the suspected cable break as gross sabotage.