The Finnish Police reported this Wednesday that they have seized a ship suspected of damaging an underwater cable in the Baltic Sea at the end of December 2025, as part of the open criminal investigation.
The National Investigation Office (KRP, for its acronym in Finnish) has indicated that the seizure was carried out early in the morning “to ensure the necessary measures for the criminal investigation.” The Fitburg ship’s cargo was under administrative detention by Customs.
“For the investigation, forensic examinations are being carried out on the ship and crew members are being questioned, which makes seizure essential at this stage,” explained the aforementioned Finnish Police office.
Thus, it has explained that it is investigating the incident as aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage and aggravated interference with telecommunications. In addition, the authorities have placed a member of the crew in preventive detention and have imposed a travel ban on three other people.
Customs, for its part, concluded during the day that the transported steel products are subject to Russian sanctions, but announced that it would not initiate a criminal investigation, as long as the shipment is removed from the Nordic country.
Finnish authorities took control of the ship on New Year’s Eve in the Gulf of Finland. The ship, which was sailing from Russia to Israel, is suspected of damaging a telecommunications cable with its anchor.