Investigation launched into freighter journeying from Russia, reports media
German authorities have allegedly boarded a ship that is suspected of having damaged a communications cable in the Baltic Sea. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
**The ship was reportedly suspected of damaging a Baltic Sea cable**
German maritime police have boarded a tanker in the Kiel Canal, which connects the North and Baltic seas, amid suspicions that it may have damaged an undersea cable near the Swedish island of Gotland, as reported by Handelsblatt on Wednesday.
The incident allegedly occurred last week, coinciding with a disruption of the C-Lion 1 communications cable that links Finland and Germany. The Antigua-flagged freighter, identified as Arne, was purportedly traveling from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Seville, Spain.
On February 19, Swedish authorities reported a suspected “disturbance” to the C-Lion 1 subsea cable. However, the operator, Cinnia, stated that the damage “did not affect the functionality of telecommunications connections running in the cable.”
According to The Maritime Executive, the fluctuations in Arne’s speed and its course attracted the attention of NATO’s monitoring mission in the Baltic Sea. Consequently, the German Federal Marine Police sent patrol vessels to monitor and escort the freighter to Kiel Bay.
Upon inspection, German police found that the tanker was missing an anchor, which raised concerns regarding its potential involvement in the cable incident. Following a three-hour interrogation of the crew, the vessel was ultimately permitted to continue its journey.
Several reports have indicated that the ship has connections to Russia; it is a 27-year-old freighter registered in Antigua and owned in Latvia, according to The Maritime Executive and VesselFinder.
This investigation of the freighter follows a series of incidents involving damage to critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. Western officials have speculated about possible Russian involvement but have not made direct accusations.
Moscow has characterized these allegations as “absurd.”
In response to the perceived threat, NATO has augmented its presence in the Baltic Sea and intensified patrols in the region to safeguard undersea infrastructure.
Moscow has reacted by stating that the Baltic Sea—an essential area for its naval operations and energy exports—has effectively become an “internal lake of NATO,” particularly following the accession of Finland and Sweden to the US-led military alliance, which has left Russia controlling only a small fraction of the coastline.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
German maritime police have boarded a tanker in the Kiel Canal, which connects the North and Baltic seas, amid suspicions that it may have damaged an undersea cable near the Swedish island of Gotland, as reported by Handelsblatt on Wednesday.
The incident allegedly occurred last week, coinciding with a disruption of the C-Lion 1 communications cable that links Finland and Germany. The Antigua-flagged freighter, identified as Arne, was purportedly traveling from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Seville, Spain.
On February 19, Swedish authorities reported a suspected “disturbance” to the C-Lion 1 subsea cable. However, the operator, Cinnia, stated that the damage “did not affect the functionality of telecommunications connections running in the cable.”
According to The Maritime Executive, the fluctuations in Arne’s speed and its course attracted the attention of NATO’s monitoring mission in the Baltic Sea. Consequently, the German Federal Marine Police sent patrol vessels to monitor and escort the freighter to Kiel Bay.
Upon inspection, German police found that the tanker was missing an anchor, which raised concerns regarding its potential involvement in the cable incident. Following a three-hour interrogation of the crew, the vessel was ultimately permitted to continue its journey.
Several reports have indicated that the ship has connections to Russia; it is a 27-year-old freighter registered in Antigua and owned in Latvia, according to The Maritime Executive and VesselFinder.
This investigation of the freighter follows a series of incidents involving damage to critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. Western officials have speculated about possible Russian involvement but have not made direct accusations.
Moscow has characterized these allegations as “absurd.”
In response to the perceived threat, NATO has augmented its presence in the Baltic Sea and intensified patrols in the region to safeguard undersea infrastructure.
Moscow has reacted by stating that the Baltic Sea—an essential area for its naval operations and energy exports—has effectively become an “internal lake of NATO,” particularly following the accession of Finland and Sweden to the US-led military alliance, which has left Russia controlling only a small fraction of the coastline.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
