Cable cutting in the Baltic Sea: investigators see deliberate actions of the crew of a Chinese ship that left a Russian port
Kyiv • UNN
The 225-meter ship Yi Peng 3 stretched anchor for 160 km, damaging underwater cables between European countries. Investigators are considering the version of deliberate sabotage with the possible participation of Russian intelligence.
A 225-meter fertilizer vessel pulled anchor for more than 160 km after cables between Sweden, Lithuania, Germany and Finland were cut in mid-November.
Passes UNN with reference to the WSJ.
The crew of the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3 is suspected of deliberately dragging an anchor 100 miles (more than 160 km) to cut Baltic cables.
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Underwater fiber-optic cables, which carry trillions of dollars in daily transactions, are central to the technical war between the United States and China. a Chinese commercial vessel that was surrounded by European warships in international waters for a week is central to the investigation into suspected sabotage.
Maritime security and tensions between China and the West
European investigators believe the 225-meter Yi Peng 3 fertilizer vessel pulled anchor more than 100 miles after cutting cables between Sweden, Lithuania, Germany and Finland on November 17 and 18.
The trajectory of the Yi Pen 3 vessel in the Baltic Sea this month was taken into account, including when the cables were cut, and its current condition.
The ship, owned by the Chinese shipping company Ningbo Yipeng Shipping Company, left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on November 15.
Investigators are investigating whether Russian intelligence influenced the captain, and whether the incident could be part of the first system of attacks on critical European infrastructure that are believed to have been organized by Moscow.
When cutting the cable, Yi Peng 3 experienced a "dark event" due to the shutdown of the transponder and a significant decrease in speed. During anchoring in the Kattegat Strait, it was intercepted by ships of the Danish navy. According to people familiar with the investigation, damage to the anchor and hull of the ship occurred due to a broken cable.
Both Sweden and Germany launched an investigation into the sabotage after the incident. NATO ships from Denmark, Germany and Sweden are guarding the ship while authorities negotiate to interrogate the crew.
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Donald Tusk proposes to create a "maritime police" to protect the Baltic Sea from Russian threats. The initiative comes after the recent damage to an underwater telecommunications cable between Finland and Germany.
