Finnish defense forces identify Chinese-owned vessel responsible for Balticconnector gas pipeline damage

Following the damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia last autumn, Finnish defense forces quickly identified the cause within a day, as reported by Turun Sanomat. Toni Joutsia, head of the Maritime Operations Center, discussed the investigation at the Turku Europe Forum on Thursday.

“Within about 24 hours, we had examined all possible scenarios against monitoring data from as far back as several months. We quickly identified the smoking gun, meaning we knew who the potential culprit was,” Joutsia told the publication.

Subsequent underwater investigations unequivocally revealed which vessel caused the damage. The Central Criminal Police, responsible for providing information on the matter, announced 16 days after the incident that the anchor of the Chinese-owned vessel Newnew Polar Bear was responsible for the damage.

In August of this year, China acknowledged that the freight ship was involved in the incident. According to the country’s authorities, the pipeline damage was an accident caused by a severe storm.