Finnish and Swedish authorities have successfully recovered the lost anchor of the dark fleet tanker Eagle S, the vessel suspected of damaging several fiber-optic cables and a power cable in the Gulf of Finland on Christmas Day. The anchor was found near the Porkkala Peninsula, along the Eagle S’s route, indicating a possible connection to the cable damage incidents. This marks the third such incident in 15 months, following similar occurrences involving Chinese vessels Newnew Polar Bear and Yi Peng 3.
With the assistance of the Swedish submarine rescue vessel HMS Belos, Finnish authorities located the anchor in a joint operation overnight off the Porkkala Peninsula. The anchor, found in 80 meters of water, was raised to the surface on Monday after preparations for recovery began. Images of the recovered anchor show signs of extreme damage, with a broken fluke and a visible crack on the crown, further supporting suspicions of intentional anchor dragging.
Maritime security experts and local investigators have expressed doubts about the incident being accidental, citing the numerous manual tasks required to execute such a maneuver. The crew of the Eagle S would have had to perform precise actions to drag the anchor under power for 50 nautical miles without noticing the effects on the bottom. Finland has detained the vessel for a criminal investigation and issued travel bans to eight crew members suspected of involvement in the incident, further emphasizing the intentional nature of the anchor dragging.
