Ship captain pleads not guilty to Balticconnector damage charges
The Chinese captain of a Hong Kong‑registered cargo ship pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to a charge of criminal damage, following allegations that his vessel damaged undersea cables in the Baltic Sea in October 2023.
Wan Wenguo, 44, the captain of the container ship NewNew Polar Bear, is alleged to have damaged an underwater natural gas pipeline and submarine telecom cables between Finland and Estonia on October 8, 2023, according to a Hong Kong charge sheet reviewed by Reuters news agency.
The charge sheet stated that Wan had been "reckless" and "without lawful excuse damaged the property belonging to another".
Investigations led by the Finnish authorities said the NewNew Polar Bear dragged its anchor to sever the Balticconnector gas pipeline. The police retrieved a broken anchor from the seabed near the pipeline. Technical examinations showed it belonged to the container vessel.
A lawyer for Wan, Jerry Chung, earlier said 18 prosecution witnesses would be called to testify in the case that includes one charge of criminal damage, as well as two charges of failing to ensure the ship complied with safety requirements under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
Wan also pleaded not guilty to those two charges.
These witnesses include crew members, Hong Kong officials, and experts in maritime matters, Chung added.
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Editor: Valner Väino, Helen Wright
Source: Reuters
