Anchor found at the site of damage to Balticconnector gas pipeline
25 October, 2023 The damaged Balticconnector gas pipeline. October 2023. Photo credits: i.err.ee
The Finnish Criminal Police reported that an anchor was discovered at the bottom of the Baltic Sea near the site of the Balticconnector gas pipeline damage. During the preliminary investigation, the police discovered that the anchor could have belonged to a vessel sailing under the Hong Kong flag. On Tuesday, the anchor was removed from the incident site.
The anchor was lifted using a crane of the Hall vessel. However, the police report they cannot yet state whether the damage to the gas pipeline was intentional. At this stage of the investigation, the department cannot speculate whether the incident could have been a terrorist act.
An anchor found near the Balticconnector gas pipeline. October 2023. Photo credits: yle.fi
The Finnish broadcaster Yle also shared a photo taken on October 22, which shows the absence of an anchor on the port side of the container ship Newnew Polar Bear, sailing under the Hong Kong flag.
The same vessel stopped in the Gulf of Finland shortly before crossing the BalticConnector gas pipeline. "The picture captures the Newnew Polar Bear container ship, stationed in Arkhangelsk, with an anchor missing on the port side," the journalists reported. On the night of October 8, the Balticconnector gas pipeline connecting Estonia and Finland was damaged under unknown circumstances, along with a telecommunications cable of an Estonian operator.
The Newnew Polar Bear ship. Photo credits: yle.fi
Then, the gas transmission operators of Finland and Estonia launched an investigation. During the gas pipeline shutdown, supplies are provided through the Inkoo LNG terminal.
The Estonian-Finnish Balticconnector joint gas pipeline was opened in December 2019.
The length of the Balticconnector underwater section from the Estonian port city of Paldiski to Inkoo in Finland is 77 km.
The onshore part covers 55 km in Estonia and 21 km in Finland.
Balticconnector on the map
The purpose of the Balticconnector was to ensure gas transportation between Finland, Estonia, and Latvia at no additional cost and to reduce the dependence of local markets on Russia's Gazprom.