OSLO (Reuters) -Finland will release an oil tanker which investigators believe broke a Baltic Sea power cable and four internet lines late last year, and will escort the vessel to international waters even as the criminal probe continues, police said on Sunday.
The Cook Islands-registered Eagle S was boarded by Finland’s coast guard on December 26 and has been held in custody while authorities probed the case, which remains under investigation on suspicion of sabotage.
Three crew members remain subject to a travel ban and are not allowed to leave Finland, police said in a statement.
“The criminal investigation continues with further interviews of the crew and the examination of the material gathered,” police said, while adding that the aim is to conclude the probe by the end of April.
The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and the NATO military alliance has boosted its presence with frigates, aircraft and naval drones.
Investigators believe the cables broke when the Eagle S dragged its anchor along the seabed, and a lost anchor believed to belong to the vessel was later recovered from the ocean.
A lawyer representing the ship’s owner has said the alleged damage happened outside of Finland’s territorial waters and that the country thus lacked jurisdiction to intervene.
Finnish power grid operator Fingrid said on Sunday it had agreed with Estonian partner Elering to waive their right to enforce a seizure of the Eagle S as the cost of taking over and maintaining it likely exceeded the vessel’s value.
(Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Elaine Hardcastle and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
