A Chinese vessel, the Yi Peng 3, has been surrounded by Nato warships in international waters for weeks now after it was suspected of deliberately severing two undersea telecom cables in the Baltic Sea at the behest of Russia.
Investigators believe the vessel, a Chinese-registered bulk carrier, intentionally dragged its anchor along the seabed between Nov. 17 and 18, for more than 100 miles, to cause the damage.
The damage was first noticed on Nov. 17 at around 9 p.m. after a 730-mile fibre optic cable, the C-Lion1, lost connection. The cable is the only direct connection of its kind between central Europe and Finland.
One of the investigators looking into the matter told the Wall Street Journal: “It’s extremely unlikely that the captain would not have noticed that his ship dropped and dragged its anchor, losing speed for hours and cutting cables on the way.”
Part of the investigation is to determine whether or not Russia asked the crew of the Chinese ship to engage in the sabotage.
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Just prior to the cables being severed, the vessel was making its way from Ust-Luga, in Russia, to Port Said, in Egypt, through the Baltic Sea.
Sweden steps in
Sweden is asking the Chinese vessel to return to Swedish waters to help the investigation move forward more quickly.
In addition to Sweden, Germany and Lithuania have also launched investigations into the matter.
“A Reuters analysis of MarineTraffic data showed that the ship’s coordinates corresponded to the time and place of the breaches,” the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported.
The ship is now inside Denmark’s exclusive economic zone, and is being closely watched by Danish military vessels.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, said at a press conference, “From the Swedish side we have had contact with the ship and contact with China and said that we want the ship to move towards Swedish waters,” adding that, “We’re not making any accusations, but we seek clarity on what has happened.”
China’s foreign ministry says that communication channels with their Swedish counterparts remain “unobstructed.”
“I would like to reiterate China’s consistent support working with all countries to maintain the security of international submarine cables and other infrastructure in accordance with international law,” Mao Ning, a foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters during a regular news briefing on Nov. 28.
Investigation warranted
Katja Bego, a senior researcher at Chatham House, an international affairs think tank, told Reuters that incidents like this, involving undersea data cables, occur somewhere between 150 and 200 times a year. She said that the mass majority of incidents turn out to be accidental.
However, she said that considering the geopolitical tensions in the region an investigation was warranted.
“Investigating incidents like this can take a long time, and even if the culprit is found, as appears to be the case here, proving intent is incredibly difficult,” she said. “Neither sabotage nor an accident can be ruled out at this point.”
Last week, Russian authorities said that drawing any connection between the cut cables and Russia was “absurd.”
Meanwhile, Kristersson said he’s hopeful that communication between his and China’s government will remain positive and open, saying on Monday that Beijing has maintained “smooth communication” with all parties impacted.
A similar incident, also suspected of involving a Chinese ship, unfolded last year when a subsea gas pipeline and several telecom cables running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea were severely damaged.