Two days ago two fiber optic cables that traverse the Baltic were damaged. One of the cables connected Finland and Germany, the other connected Sweden and Latvia. The damage – the cable between Germany and Finland was actually cut – interrupted internet service across the region. The biggest effects were felt in Finland.
Yesterday the ship that is suspected of damaging the cables, the Chinese flagged and owned Yi Peng 3, was stopped by the Danish navy as it transited the Kattegat. The Kattegat is the embayment between Denmark and Sweden. That ship was boarded and detained by the Danes today. It is reported that the 225 meter dry bulk carrier is captained by a Russian national.
Yi Peng 3 was traveling from the Russian port of Ust-Luga to Port Said, Egypt and passed in proximity of the Finnish-German and Swedish-Lithuanian cables around the time they stopped working. Around 8pm CET (Central European) time Yi Peng 3 departed from the main shipping corridor, slowed down, and has remained at anchor since then. Danish Navy patrol vessel HDMS Rota (P525) has remained on site since then, with the larger HDMS Søløven (Y311) circling in the area several hours later.
German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, bluntly stated. “No one believes that these cables were cut by accident. I also don’t subscribe to theories suggesting that ship anchors caused the damage to the cables. We have to assume, without certain information, that the damage is caused by sabotage.” Hybrid warfare targeting critical subsea infrastructure has been on the rise and European officials were quick to condemn the incident and promise a thorough investigation.
This incident is remarkably similar to the one involving the NewNew Polar Bear which damaged the Balticonnector gas pipeline last year. However the response this time has been markedly different. All of the countries involved moved much more quickly this time. With the Balticonnector incident, the ship had retreated to a safe Russian port before any investigation was started.