Danish naval forces monitor Chinese cargo ship linked to undersea cable damage between Finland and Germany

Danish naval forces have been closely monitoring a Chinese cargo ship for several days due to its connection to the recent damage of an undersea cable between Finland and Germany. Authorities are particularly focused on the vessel, Yi Peng 3, which was present in the area around the time the damage occurred. However, the extent to which officials suspect the ship’s involvement has not been disclosed.

The Danish Navy has maintained constant surveillance of the Yi Peng 3, as indicated by data from the MarineTraffic database. The Danish frigate HDMS Niels Juel first approached the Chinese vessel late Monday night local time in the Baltic Sea, amid the waters separating Germany and Denmark. The cable damage was reported shortly after midnight that Monday.

There are indications that the movements of the Danish vessel were not coincidental. Niels Juel was initially traveling in a different direction but made a sudden turn before accelerating to pursue the Chinese ship. Since then, three additional Danish Navy vessels have either sailed alongside or remained close to Yi Peng 3, which has remained stationary in the strait between Denmark and Sweden since the previous evening.

On Wednesday afternoon, Denmark’s armed forces confirmed their presence near the Chinese ship via the social media platform X but did not provide details regarding any boarding actions by authorities. Following this, reports surfaced that the Danish Navy is conducting operations on behalf of Sweden in the vicinity of Yi Peng 3, yet specifics about the task remain undisclosed.

The trajectory of Yi Peng 3 not only intersects with the damaged Finland-Germany cable but also with another undersea cable linking Sweden and Lithuania, which has also sustained damage.