Finland believes Chinese ship deliberately damaged the Balticconnector gas pipeline

"I'm not the sea captain. But I would think that you would notice that you're dragging an anchor behind you for hundreds of kilometers. I think everything indicates that it was intentional. But of course, so far, nobody has admitted to it," he told journalists.

He is referring to the container ship Newnew Polar Bear, suspected of damaging the Balticconnector. According to preliminary data, the vessel was dragging an unlifted anchor across the entire Baltic Sea. The anchor, weighing 6000 kilograms, was pulled a few meters from the damage site.

Adlercreutz said he could not speculate whether this action was approved by the Chinese government. However, the swift return of the ship to China raises some questions.

"If I as a captain would have done something that the Chinese government wouldn't approve of, then I would be concerned about returning with my boat to China," he said.

Damage to Balticconnector

On the night of October 8, the Balticconnector gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged in the Baltic Sea.

Estonia's Navy Commander Yuri Saska stated that the gas pipeline appears as if someone tore it from the side.

In Finland, there are suspicions that some state is behind the damage to the gas pipeline.

The primary focus of the initial investigation is the Chinese vessel Newnew Polar Bear, but other lines of inquiry remain open.

Simultaneously, it became known that the Russian ship Sevmorput is no longer associated with the main direction of the investigation by the Joint Investigation Team.

Later, it was reported that the Finnish police concluded investigative activities at the site of the damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.