Finland Seizes Cargo Ship After Undersea Cable Damage, Anchor Receives Brief Scrutiny

HELSINKI — Finnish authorities confirmed the seizure of the cargo vessel Fitburg following suspected sabotage of undersea telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea.

The ship, reportedly traveling from St. Petersburg to Israel, was intercepted after damage was detected on a cable linking Helsinki and Tallinn. Officials stated the vessel was suspected of dragging its anchor along the seabed in an area connected to the outage.

All 14 crew members were detained for questioning as Finnish police opened a preliminary investigation into aggravated sabotage and aggravated interference with telecommunications.

Customs officials additionally reported the ship carried Russian steel subject to EU sanctions, adding a second layer of concern to an incident already occurring amid heightened regional alert after previous cable and infrastructure disruptions.

Authorities emphasized it remained too early to determine whether the event was intentional or accidental, but confirmed it was being treated as a high-level security threat within the broader context of hybrid warfare.