Two crew members of the Fitburg ship have been arrested, police announced after questioning 14 people from the vessel’s crew. Two more individuals have been subjected to a travel ban. This concerns the recent damage to underwater telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland. The ship was sailing from Russia to Israel.

Fitburg ship suspected of damaging underwater cables in the Baltic Sea (illustrative photo) RONI REKOMAA AFP

The crew members of the cargo vessel, which was sailing from St. Petersburg to Israel’s Haifa on New Year’s Eve, are citizens of Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

The damage to the cable belonging to the Finnish operator Elisa occurred early Wednesday morning in Estonia’s economic zone. The 132-meter-long Fitburg ship, flying under the flag of the Caribbean nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was directed toward the southern coast of Finland, near Helsinki.

External content Finland. Damaged Cable in the Baltic Sea. Investigators Point to Similarities in Cases

The lead investigator, Commissioner Risto Lohi, admitted that the incident is similar to those from previous years, where cable damages occurred, and the common factor is that, once again, it involves a cargo ship sailing from Russia with its anchor dropped into the sea.

Almost exactly a year ago, on Christmas 2024, the tanker Eagle S, sailing from St. Petersburg with its anchor lowered, damaged underwater telecommunications cables as well as an energy cable between Estonia and Finland.

The vessel was detained by Finnish services, and charges were brought against the ship’s officers. However, the court in Helsinki dismissed the proceedings, ruling that Finland lacks jurisdiction in the matter because the suspected crimes took place in Finland’s economic zone, outside Finnish territorial waters.

According to MTV television, the defense of the Fitburg crew has been taken on by the same lawyer who handled the Eagle S case.