The vessel was being escorted to a Finnish port and all 14 crew members has been taken into custody.
On Wednesday, Finnish National Police Commissioner Ilkka Koskimaki informed that his country detained the freighter Fitburg on suspicion of damaging undersea data cables in the Gulf of Finland.
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The vessel was being escorted to a Finnish port and all 14 crew members has been taken into custody. A police spokesman said it was too early to determine whether the incident was accidental or intentional.
Officials said the Fitburg sails under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Finnish media reported that the ship’s owning company is registered in the Seychelles and maintains an office in Turkey.
The Finnish Coast Guard said telecommunications company Elisa alerted it shortly after 5 a.m. local time to a breach in its cable link between the Finnish capital Helsinki and the Estonian capital Tallinn.
Coast Guard Commander Mikko Simola said three vessels were initially considered possible suspects, with the Fitburg later emerging as the main suspect. The damage was detected in Estonia’s exclusive economic zone.
Finnish Authorities Seize Ship After Helsinki-Tallinn Cable Damage | SG Newshttps://t.co/8wiH7T931m
Finnish law enforcement seized the cargo vessel Fitburg on Wednesday after it damaged a fibre link connecting Helsinki and Tallinn, Yle reported. The 132-metre ship was… pic.twitter.com/ogbHRiREtZ
— SG News (@SGNews123) January 1, 2026
Finnish patrols later located the suspect vessel in Finland’s exclusive economic zone with its anchor chain lowered. The ship was instructed to raise its anchor and proceed toward the Finnish coast, which it did, Simola said. Authorities then ordered the vessel into Finnish territorial waters and took control of it.
Simola said Coast Guard helicopters sighted the vessel at around 7:30 a.m. local time. Officials boarded the ship by helicopter at about 11 a.m. local time and took control of the bridge and the vessel.
The Finnish government and state leadership were kept informed, while operational decisions were made by relevant civil servants and agencies. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that Finland is prepared for a range of security contingencies and will respond accordingly.
Estonia’s Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs said two cables between the two countries were disrupted – one owned by Elisa and another by Sweden’s Arelion. Estonian and Finnish prosecutors are exchanging information and considering whether to open a joint investigation, the ministry said.
Elisa said services in Finland and Estonia were not affected due to network backups, though some customers using direct connections via the cable may have experienced disruptions. The company said inspections of the damaged cable have yet to begin due to adverse weather conditions.
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Source: Xinhua
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