Swedish authorities are investigating damage to two undersea communication cables in the Baltic Sea and the potential involvement of the Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3, the Financial Times reported on November 20.
Meanwhile, Visegrád 24 media outlet reported that the Yi Peng 3 was “chased and intercepted” by the Danish Navy vessel Y311 Søløven. The ship has since been stopped, with inspections expected to follow.
The media adds that the ship’s captain is a Russian citizen.
The Swedish government has not directly commented on the vessel but confirmed an ongoing police investigation, supported by the Coast Guard and the Armed Forces.
“The situation is being thoroughly investigated to determine the cause of the damage,” Swedish officials said.
The ship, owned by Ningbo Yipeng Shipping in eastern China, was traveling from Russia to Egypt.
The company confirmed that it is cooperating with the investigation at the request of the Chinese government.
Data from MarineTraffic reveals that the vessel’s route and timing match the locations and incidents of the cable disruptions, which had significant impacts on internet traffic.
Swedish authorities are now working to determine if the damage was accidental or deliberate.
The cables, which connect Sweden to Lithuania and Finland to Germany, were damaged on November 17 and 18, coinciding with the ship’s route, according to maritime tracking data from MarineTraffic.
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