The captain and two officers of an oil tanker accused of severing five undersea power and telecoms cables when their vessel left Russia and sailed through the Gulf of Finland in late 2024 will stand trial in Helsinki on Monday.
Investigators have concluded that the Eagle S dragged its anchor along the seabed, severing the Estlink 2 power cable connecting Finland and Estonia, and four internet lines, leading Finnish security forces to interrupt the vessel's journey and board it from helicopters after ordering it to move into Finnish territorial waters.
The three defendants have denied all charges, and the captain told Finnish public broadcaster YLE the incident was "a marine accident".
NATO allies around the Baltic Sea went on high alert following the incident, one of a string of suspicious cable and gas pipeline outages in the region since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Finnish prosecutors this month charged the Cook Islands-registered tanker's Georgian captain and Indian first and second officers with aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with telecommunications.
The maximum sentence for aggravated criminal mischief is 10 years in prison, while aggravated interference with telecommunications carries a term of up to five years.
Prosecutors say the damage caused serious risks to energy supply and telecommunications in Finland, and that repair costs total at least €60 million ($70 million).
The defendants argue that Finland lacks jurisdiction in the case as the cables were damaged outside Finnish territorial waters, and the court has said it will also consider this claim.
Finnish authorities detained the Eagle S after the cables were severed and released it again in March, while upholding a travel ban on the three now facing trial.
A lawyer for United Arab Emirates-based Caravella LLC FZ, the owner of the Eagle S, has also said Helsinki lacks jurisdiction to intervene in the case.
Last week, a Ukrainian was arrested over the 2022 attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Both Moscow and the West have described the explosions, which largely severed Russian gas supplies to Europe, as sabotage.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Iran had agreed to continue talks despite an escalation of hostilities this week but he declared that the cea...
A 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murdering British politician Ann Widdecombe has been released and is no longer part of the investigation, ...
Russia launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at Ukraine’s capital early on Saturday, injuring at least 10 people, officials said. The attack came...
President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Iran had agreed to continue talks despite an escalation of hostilities this week but he declared that the ceasefire reached between the two sides last month was over.
Israel's decision to recognise the so-called Armenian genocide has triggered diplomatic tensions with Azerbaijan, one of its closest strategic partners.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 11 July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Spain's High Court has placed Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's former chief of staff, Juan Manuel Serrano, under investigation as part of a widening corruption probe, ordering police to seize and analyse his mobile phone data.
It has been a punishing week for large parts of China, and forecasters warn the worst may not be over. After Typhoon Maysak left a trail of destruction and at least 23 people dead, Super Typhoon Bavi is now threatening the country's eastern coast.
At least 12 people have been killed in forest fires in Almeria in southern Spain, Andalucía’s emergency agency has said, as firefighters continue efforts to put out the blaze.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington has agreed to resume talks with Iran after Tehran requested further negotiations, but declared that last month's ceasefire between the two countries was "over".
The U.S. military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war.
Dozens of flights have been cancelled across East Asia as Super Typhoon Bavi approaches China. The typhoon, which has maximum sustained winds of 162 kph (100mph), is nearing a remote chain of Japanese islands, east of Taiwan on Friday.
A 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murdering British politician Ann Widdecombe has been released and is no longer part of the investigation, UK police have said.
Russia launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at Ukraine’s capital early on Saturday, injuring at least 10 people, officials said. The attack came as Kyiv faces a shortage of air defence munitions while awaiting fresh supplies to counter Russian strikes.
The remains of 10 victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide were carried to the Potočari Memorial Cemetery in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday ahead of their burial during the 31st anniversary commemoration.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 11 July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
More than 100 countries now spend more on servicing debt than on education, UNESCO has warned, as it called on governments and international lenders to expand the use of debt-for-education swaps.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment