🧵 1/ The interconnection #EstLink2 used for power transfer between #Finland and #Estonia was disconnected suddenly on January 26th just after midnight local time.
An investigation regarding the disconnect has been launched. It's currently unknown why the disconnect happened and if there was an outside factor regarding it similar to the #Balticconnector last year.
This was reported by #Fingrid, Finland's transmission system operator.
As the investigation into damage to Baltic Sea critical infrastructure continues, #Finland's Minister of European Affairs Anders #Adlercreutz said it’s hard to believe sabotage to the undersea gas pipeline was accidental — or that it happened without #Beijing’s knowledge.
“I think everything indicates that it was intentional. But of course, so far, nobody has admitted to it.”
Police of Finland press release on the #Balticconnector gas pipeline that was damaged.
"Investigation into the Balticconnector gas pipeline damage has been underway for a month. Technical examinations have reinforced suspicion that the anchor lifted from the sea belongs to the vessel Newnew Polar Bear."
The container ship that is suspected of having damaged a gas pipeline and two communication cables in the Baltic Sea on the 25th of October left the north Russian port of Arkhangelsk with course towards Arctic waters.
The permission issued by the Northern Sea Route Administration, a body subordinated Russia’s state nuclear power company #Rosatom, shows that the name of the ship operator has changed.
"Tried to map the web of parties involved around the NewNew Polar Bear. A lot of weirdness going on - #Torgmoll Russia, NewNew, Goodstuff OOO and Intouch Logistics all share a single phone number and all deal with transport to/from China."
Finnish investigators say they believed an anchor of Chinese container ship NewNew Polar Bear was dislodged and caused the damage to the undersea BalticConnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia on the Baltic Sea earlier this month.
The head of the investigation said in a news conference that a 1.5 to 4-meter-wide dragging trail on the seabed is seen to lead to the point of damage in the gas pipeline.
Ostsee-Pipeline Balticconnector wohl durch Schiffsanker beschädigt
Der Schaden an einer Gaspipeline zwischen Estland und Finnland ist laut finnischen Behörden wohl durch den Anker eines chinesischen Frachtschiffs verursacht worden. Man wolle für die weiteren Ermittlungen nun mit China zusammenarbeiten.
Finnish authorities suspect Chinese cargo ship NewNew Polar Bear of damaging the #Balticconnector gas pipeline between #Finland and #Estonia. The damage to the pipeline and two data cables in the #Baltic Sea coincided with the ship's journey.
With the Swedish NATO membership making progress again, if russia was behind the #BalticConnector sabotage (hard to see who else), the timing was incredibly bad. A pipeline with no critical use, no impact to the winter's energy balance, but pissing off everyone on the southern Baltic Sea just as it is finally turning into a NATO lake.
Finnish police have said a Chinese ship (Newnew Polar Bear) 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.
The structure of the #Balticconnector Pipeline suggests accidental damage by Anchorage very unlikely.
Combined with the seismic records, this is starting to get highly suspicios.
Nach den Schäden an der Gaspipeline #Balticconnector & einem Kommunikationskabel sichern wir #Finnland & #Estland unsere volle Unterstützung zu. In EU & NATO arbeiten wir daran, den Schutz kritischer Unterseeinfrastrukturen weiter zu verstärken.
repair is estimated to take months - as with NordStream, if seawater has entered the pipeline, corrosion is a problem
neither Finland nor Estonia need the pipeline for the coming winter. Both countries have on-land storage facilities filled for over a year's supply of gas
pipeline was more important to Finland than Estonia until the opening of LNG Hamina terminal nearly exactly 1 year ago
NATO doorstep press stage had Dutch DefMin Kajsa Ollongren commenting on Ukraine, Israel, briefly on acceptance of Sweden.
I doubt it is in any NATO country's interest to dwell on #BalticConnector at this point in time. An anchor drag incident will likely not be publicly attributed to anyone, least of all russia, because of escalatory concerns. Both Finland and Estonia have been careful not to officially point fingers - commentators have been far more lively.
Finnish broadcaster Yle has identified five heavy vessels which stayed around the #BalticConnector damage site during the stormy weekend (which could be an entirely legitimate reason to be there). One of them is russian, others international. Article in Finnish, use Google Translate. https://yle.fi/a/74-20054774
Two of the five ships which were in the area have been identified as interests for the investigators: russian state owned Sevmorput and Chinese Newnew polar bear. Both transit cargo via the Northeast Passage between russia's Baltic Sea ports and China.
The damage location of the Sweden-Estonia fiber-optic cable has also been identified. Sweden's submarine rescue ship HSwMS Belos (stock picture) is at the site. The damage has been described similar to #BalticConnector and the Finland-Estonia fiber cable: external, physical force.
NATO countries have decided to step up patrols on the Baltic Sea.
1/ Finnish government to make announcement on gas pipeline leak in Gulf of Finland.
According to Gasgrid Finland, the only possible reason for the unusual pressure drop in the Balticconnector pipeline is a hole in the pipe, which has only been in use for a few years.
Personal note: I'm assuming that the fact that there's a need for an announcement, is an indication of sabotage being suspected.