China ship NewNew Polar Bear is focus of pipeline damage probe, Finland says

The Hong Kong-flagged vessel’s movements coincide with the time and place of a broken pipeline and cable, which investigators say may have been sabotaged

Another ship, Russia’s Sevmorput, was also in the area

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A view of the Balticconector pipeline as it is pulled into the sea in Paldiski, Estonia in an undated handout image. Photo: Elering via Reuters

Published: 3:16am, 21 Oct 2023Updated: 4:18am, 21 Oct 2023

An investigation into the damage to the Balticonnector gas pipeline is currently focused on the role of the Chinese NewNew Polar Bear container vessel, Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Friday.

Early on October 8, a gas pipeline and a telecoms cable connecting Finland and Estonia were broken, in what Finnish investigators said may have been sabotage, though they have yet to conclude whether it was an accident or a deliberate act.

On Tuesday, Sweden said a third link, connecting Stockholm to Tallinn, had been damaged at roughly the same time as the other two.

“The police have established in the criminal investigation that the movements of the vessel NewNew Polar Bear flying the flag of Hong Kong coincide with the time and place of the gas pipeline damage,” NBI said in a statement.

The Estonian Navy conducts an undersea communications cable survey on October 10 after a subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea was damaged. Photo: Estonian Navy via Reuters

“For this reason, the investigation is now focused on the role of the said vessel,” the Finnish investigators added.