Finnish authorities escorted a cargo vessel into Kantvik harbour on Wednesday afternoon under heavy guard. The authorities, acting in a joint operation, took control of the vessel suspected of damaging an undersea telecommunications cable in the Gulf of Finland.

The Finnish police have arrested two individuals, and two other persons have been subjected to a travel ban.

When the vessel was spotted, its anchor chain was found to be lowered into the sea, the Finnish police said.

The Border Guard’s patrol vessel Turva and helicopter found the suspected vessel within Finland’s exclusive economic zone. The Border Guard instructed the vessel to stop and raise the anchor. It also requested that the vessel move to a safe anchorage within Finnish territorial waters.

The damage site reported by telecommunications provider Elisa was within Estonia’s exclusive economic zone.

The 9822-dwt general cargo vessel, flagged in St Vincent and Grenadines, has 14 crew members on board. Authorities said the crew are nationals of Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan.

The operator said in a statement that the cable damage had “not affected the functionality of Elisa’s services in any way.” The telecommunications provider detected a “disturbance in Elisa’s submarine cable between Helsinki and Tallinn” early in the morning on December 31.

Police are investigating the incident as suspected aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage, and aggravated interference with telecommunications.

Intensive international cooperation and information sharing are being conducted with the Estonian authorities to resolve the case.

The authorities have also initiated a subsea crime scene investigation in the area surrounding the damaged cable.

The police rapid response unit Karhu and the Border Guard’s tactical team fast-roped down to the vessel’s deck from helicopters.

“The vessel has been taken into custody in a law enforcement cooperation operation led by the police,” Finnish police said in a press statement.

The investigative actions on the vessel have proceeded smoothly, according to the police, in close cooperation with the crew on board.

The severing of submarine cables has not affected the functionality of Finland’s communication services.

“Investigative actions have been carried out on the vessel, including the collection of material, and analysis has begun. The examination of the anchor on the ship has also started, and any potential damages are being investigated. Crew member questioning was initiated immediately on Wednesday evening, and formal interviews will begin today, Thursday,” says the tactical leader, senior detective inspector Risto Lohi of the National Bureau of Investigation.

In a post on social media site X, Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo said that he has spoken with Estonia’s PM, Kristen Michal, about the incident.

“Our authorities are working in good cooperation,” Orpo’s post read.

“Discussed with Petteri Orpo the damage to the communications cable between Estonia and Finland. We remain in close contact. Our authorities are working together, and Finland is investigating a vessel linked to the incident,” said from his side Estonia’s prime minister Michal.

The president of the European Council António Costa also wrote on X on Thursday that he is closely following the situation linked to the disruption to the data cable between Helsinki and Tallinn: “I commend the Finnish authorities for their decisive and effective action, in close cooperation with Baltic and EU partners, to protect critical infrastructure.”

The Port State Control inspection of the vessel, initiated by the Finnish transport and communications agency Traficom on Wednesday, is continuing today, Thursday. The inspection will ensure that the vessel meets the requirements of the relevant international conventions.

The Helsinki Police Department is leading the operation and conducting criminal investigation in cooperation with the National Bureau of Investigation.

The police have been in contact with the National Prosecutor’s Office, and the Prosecutor General has issued a prosecution order in the case.