“Sweden investigates possible involvement of Chinese ship in cable damage in Baltic Sea – UNSweden is investigating the damage to two data cables in the Baltic Sea, looking into the involvement of the Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3. Germany considers the incident an act of hybrid warfare.”, — write on: unn.ua
Investigators are looking into the circumstances surrounding the damage to two data cables in the Baltic Sea, including the routes of the Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3. It is the second such investigation in recent months amid growing concerns in Europe about possible sabotage.
The vessel Yi Peng 3, registered in China, was on its way from the Russian port of Ust-Luga to Port Said in Egypt. It was near the Swedish-Lithuanian and Finnish-German cables around the time those cables were damaged on Sunday and Monday, according to MarineTraffic data.
The ship was closely watched by the Danish naval forces, which is confirmed by intelligence from open sources. Swedish authorities have launched an investigation into the incidents to establish the possible involvement of Yi Peng 3, sources familiar with the investigation said.
“The Swedes are scrutinizing the Chinese vessel,” said one person familiar with the investigation.
The Swedish government refrains from commenting on the situation with the Chinese vessel. However, one of the officials said that the police investigation will analyze his routes in cooperation with the coast guard and the armed forces.
The incident comes just over a year after the anchor of another Chinese vessel, the container ship Newnew Polar Bear, damaged the Baltic gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia. The authorities of these countries did not specify whether the damage was intentional or accidental.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday that the damage to two fiber optic cables within 24 hours was likely sabotage and an act of hybrid warfare.
He added: “No one believes that these cables were cut by accident. So we are forced to conclude, without knowing exactly who did it, that this is a ‘hybrid’ action. And we also have to assume, without knowing that, that it is sabotage.” .
The Yi Peng 3 is owned by Ningbo Yipeng Shipping, which is based near the port city of Ningbo in eastern China and owns only one vessel. A company representative told the Financial Times that “the government has asked to cooperate with the investigation,” but declined to answer further questions, citing that it was getting on the plane and ended the conversation.
The Chinese embassy in Stockholm said it had “no information on the matter”, while the embassy in Helsinki did not provide any comment when asked.
We will remind
On November 18, it was reported that the C-Lion1 telecommunication cable between Helsinki and Rostock stopped working.
The cause of the malfunction remains unknown.