Finland’s national power grid operator, Fingrid, has taken legal action to seize the Eagle S oil tanker following damages to the undersea Estlink 2 electricity interconnector. The cable connecting Finland and Estonia was damaged on December 25, along with four telecoms lines. Finnish authorities suspect the tanker, which carries Russian oil, of causing the damage by dragging its anchor along the seabed. This incident has raised concerns in the Baltic Sea region, which has experienced multiple outages of power cables, telecom links, and gas pipelines since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. NATO has announced plans to increase its presence in the area.
Fingrid has requested the Helsinki District Court to formally seize the Eagle S in order to secure its financial claim for damages. The company stated that further investigations at the damage site are needed to assess the extent of the damages and plan for repairs. Fingrid anticipates the cable will be back in service by August this year. The ship’s owner, Caravella LLC FZ, based in the United Arab Emirates, has not yet commented on the situation and has previously requested the release of the vessel.
Finland’s customs service suspects the Eagle S may be part of a shadow fleet used to evade sanctions on Russian oil. While the ship’s cargo has been officially impounded, it remains on board. Moscow has stated that Finland’s seizure of the vessel is not a matter for Russia to address. The ongoing investigation and legal proceedings highlight the complex implications of the incident and its potential impact on regional energy security.
