After weeks of investigation on the suspected sabotage by a Chinese bulk carrier on the cutting of two undersea internet cables connecting Finland and Sweden to Central Europe, Denmark facilitated a meeting between the concerned parties and China to allow representatives from Finland, Denmark, and Germany to board the Yi Peng 3. Reuters said the Chinese authorities conducted the investigation, while the European parties participated as observers. Meanwhile, new underwater footage of the damage has further raised suspicions of sabotage.
“It is our expectation that once the inspection has been completed by this group of people from the four countries, the ship will be able to sail towards its destination,” said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen. On the other hand, the Swedish police said that the Chinese conducted the investigation while they were aboard the ship only as observers. “In parallel, the preliminary investigation into sabotage in connection with two cable breaks in the Baltic Sea is continuing,” the Swedish authorities said in a statement.
However, suspicions of sabotage are being further fueled by recent underwater footage that revealed drag marks that coincide with the ship’s maneuvers, as reported by TV2 (via Scandasia). Records show that the ship passed over the BCS East-West Interlink connecting Sweden to Lithuania while making slow, erratic movements uncharacteristic of an underway commercial cargo ship last November 17. It happened again the following day when the Yi Peng 3 was over the C-Lion1 cable between Finland and Germany.
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Although the underwater footage is recorded at the behest of private media organizations and not by the investigating body, it seemingly adds more proof to the allegation that the ship dragged its anchor and caused damage to the undersea cables. Another question that remains unanswered is whether or not this was an obscene accident or a deliberate act.
The China-flagged ship Yi Peng 3 was en route from Ust-Luga, Russia (some 50 miles east of St. Petersburg) to Port Said, Egypt, when this incident occurred. Neither Russia nor China has claimed responsibility for this event, but it happened almost on the same day when the U.S. allowed Ukraine to use its long-range missiles to strike within Russia. Coincidence or not, Beijing said that it was in “full communication” with the concerned countries conducting the joint investigation and that it was willing to work together to “safely resolve the incident.”
At the moment, the ship is anchored on the spot in the Kattegat Strait between Denmark and Sweden since it was stopped by the Danish Navy days after the incident. The Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is urging the ship’s captain to dock in Sweden to help with the investigation. But since it’s currently in international waters, neither Sweden nor NATO could force it to go anywhere without breaking a dozen laws and treaties.
