Finland finds anchor in Gulf of Finland as cable-damage probe continues

Finnish police say an anchor has been recovered from the Gulf of Finland as part of an investigation into an incident in which the Estlink 2 electricity transmission cable has been cut in the sea area in Finland’s exclusive economic zone about 55 km south of Loviisa on Wednesday, December 25.

The authorities raised the anchor to the surface in a joint operation on the afternoon of January 6, mentioning that the anchor was found along the ship’s route.

To remind, the police in Finland said last month that they boarded a tanker, which is registered in the Cook Islands, and that due to the action taken by the authorities it had entered Finland’s territorial waters.

The vessel’s involvement in causing the cable rupture is “under investigation,” the police noted. The investigation into the rupture in the Gulf of Finland has progressed over the weekend.

According to the Finnish police, on January 6 an anchor was retrieved from the Gulf of Finland.

As it is reported by the police, the location where the anchor was found is along the ship’s route, at the level of the Porkkala Peninsula. “The anchor was located towards the western end of the drag trace found on the seabed, near the point where the trace ends,” explains detective superintendent Risto Lohi of the NBI.

The authorities located the anchor in a joint operation during the night between Sunday and Monday January 6, and after that preparations for its recovery began. Furthermore, the anchor was raised to the surface.

The hauling operation in the Gulf of Finland was carried out in cooperation with the authorities. The police and the border guard were assisted by both the defence forces and the Swedish navy in connection with the underwater diving and hoisting operation.

“The cooperation between the authorities in the investigation into the case has been excellent, and this is a very good starting point for continuing the criminal investigation,” says Lohi.

The Helsinki police department is leading the operation in the Gulf of Finland, and the border guard service and the defence forces are contributing to the carrying out of the operation. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is in charge of conducting the investigation.