Finnish police have said a Chinese ship whose movement coincided with the time and place of the suspected sabotage of a pipeline between Finland and Estonia that was damaged this month is now the focus of their investigation.
After a leak led to the shutdown of the Balticconnector pipeline on 8 October, Finnish authorities have been investigating the damage they say was caused by “external” activity.
On Friday, they said their focus was on the Newnew Polar Bear, a cargo ship that reportedly came under Chinese ownership this year. Between 2017 and 2022 it was known as the Baltic Fulmar, the Finnish broadcaster YLE reported.
“The movements of the vessel Newnew Polar Bear flying the flag of Hong Kong coincide with the time and place of the gas pipeline damage,” Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation said.
DS Risto Lohi said: “We will cooperate with Chinese authorities in order to establish the role of the said vessel.”
Police also confirmed the damage was caused by “an external mechanical force” and that they had found “a heavy object” near the damaged pipeline.
“A recently formed huge clump of soil containing probably an extremely heavy object has been found in the seabed,” Lohi said.
The police will attempt to lift the object from the seabed, where it lies deep in the clay, to investigate whether it is connected to the damaged pipeline.
The National Bureau of Investigation said this week it was investigating Newnew Polarbear and a Russian ship, Sevmorput, both of which they said were in the area at the time of the incident.
After completing its crime scene investigation into the gas pipeline damage on Thursday, samples are now being analysed in in the bureau’s forensic library.
It will take at least five months to repair the pipeline, its operator said last week, leaving Finland totally dependent upon liquefied natural gas imports for the winter.
Natural gas accounts for about 5% of Finland’s energy consumption, mainly used in industry and combined heat and power production.
Last year, underwater explosions resulted in the rupture of three pipelines in the Baltic Sea responsible for the transportation of natural gas from Russia to western Europe.
