Finnish Police seize cargo ship Fitburg suspected of breaking cables
Finland's National Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday seized the cargo ship suspected of breaking cables in the Baltic Sea in Estonia's exclusive economic zone on December 31 to continue its investigation.
The agency seized the Fitburg vessel, which is suspected of damaging at least one subsea telecommunications cable between Tallinn and Helsinki, at 8 a.m. on January 7. The police said in a statement it made the move so a criminal investigation could continue.
Examinations are being conducted on the cargo ship, and the crew members are being interviewed, making the seizure essential at this stage, it explained.
The police are investigating the incident as aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage, and aggravated interference with telecommunications.
One crew member has been placed in pre-trial detention, and a travel ban has been imposed on three other individuals.
The vessel was detained by the Finnish authorities a week ago after a telecommunications cable was damaged in the Gulf of Finland in Estonia's exclusive economic zone. It was traveling from St. Petersburg to Israel.
Customs closes investigation
Until now, the vessel's cargo – EU-sanctioned steel products – had been detained by the Finnish Customs agency while it carried out a preliminary inquiry. On Wednesday, it said it would not pursue a criminal investigation.
"The interviews carried out during the preliminary inquiry show that the vessel had entered Finnish territorial waters at the request of Finnish authorities, so the crew cannot be considered to have intentionally brought the steel products to Finnish territorial waters, thereby violating the sanctions legislation," the agency said in a statement.
Customs said it will release the cargo on the condition that it is removed from Finland.
Minor deficiencies
The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom said it found 10 minor deficiencies after inspecting the Fitburg.
These were connected to fire safety, emergency preparedness, the safe operation of the engine room and the general maintenance of the ship.
"None of the deficiencies endanger the safety of the ship or its crew," the agency said in a statement.
"The ship was in an appropriate condition for its age and, from a maritime safety perspective, it can continue its voyage once the deficiencies have been rectified," said Sanna Sonninen, maritime director at Traficom.
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Editor: Helen Wright
