A Russian fibre optic cable beneath the Baltic Sea was broken final month solely 28 km (17 miles) from the place a fuel pipeline linking Finland and Estonia was broken quickly afterwards, Russian state firm Rostelecom stated on Tuesday.
Finnish police imagine injury to the Balticconnector fuel pipeline was brought on by a Chinese container ship dragging its anchor alongside the seabed however haven’t concluded whether or not this was an accident or a deliberate act.
Security of sub-sea cables and pipelines within the Baltic has change into a prime concern in opposition to the background of the Ukraine conflict, particularly because the blowing-up of Russia’s Nord Stream fuel pipelines final yr. Investigators have but to ascertain who was accountable.
In a press release, Rostelecom didn’t touch upon what had triggered the “accident” to the fibre cable that hyperlinks Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad to the remainder of the nation.
However, it famous the proximity of the incident to the broken Balticconnector fuel pipeline, when it comes to each geography and timing.
“Damage to the Rostelecom company’s fiber optic cable in the Baltic Sea was recorded on October 7, 2023 at 23:30 (Moscow time). The location of the cable damage is located 28 km from the section of the Baltic Connector gas pipeline damaged on October 8,” it stated.
Finnish police main the pipeline investigation have named the Hong Kong-flagged container provider NewNew Polar Bear because the prime suspect in damaging the fuel pipeline. A big anchor was discovered close by, and the investigators imagine the pipe was damaged as a ship dragged it throughout the ocean mattress.
Operator Gasgrid has stated the pipeline might be out of fee till April or longer. China has stated it’s keen to offer the required info in accordance with worldwide regulation.
Two different Baltic telecoms cables, connecting Estonia to Finland and Sweden, had been additionally broken on Oct. 7 and eight.
In its assertion, Rostelecom stated a specialised vessel had began repairs on the fibre optic cable on Nov. 5 and the work was anticipated to take 10 days, relying on climate circumstances.
It stated customers had not been affected as a result of information was transmitted by way of terrestrial routes and backup satellite tv for pc channels.
(Reuters – Additional reporting by Anne Kauranen and Terje Solsvik/Editing by Gareth Jones)
