Finland's Fingrid Seeks Court Approval to Seize Russian Tanker Over Estlink 2 Cable Malfunction

Fingrid, Finland's power grid operator, has sought approval from a Helsinki court to seize the Eagle S oil tanker as part of its efforts to secure damages from the malfunction of the Estlink 2 electricity cable, according to Reuters on January 2.

On December 26, the Finnish Coast Guard intercepted and boarded the Russian vessel Eagle S in Finnish waters after suspicions arose regarding its involvement in an attack on the Estlink 2 undersea power cable.

In a statement, Fingrid announced that it had requested the Helsinki District Court to formally seize the Eagle S oil tanker in order to secure its financial claim.

“Further investigations at the damage site are expected to provide more information about the extent of the damages and enable more detailed planning and scheduling of the repair,” Fingrid said.

Previously, on December 29, Bloomberg reported that Finnish investigators had linked significant damage to subsea power and data cables to the tanker Eagle S, whose anchor seemingly caused major disruption to the undersea cable.

The vessel, part of a Russian shadow fleet  and sailing under the Cook Islands flag is currently detained while authorities investigate the extensive damage.