Hong Kong court hears captain over Gulf of Finland cable damage

The trial of the captain of the Newnew Polar Bear cargo vessel, accused of damaging critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, has begun in Hong Kong after months of delays.

The Chinese-owned ship, sailing under the Hong Kong flag at the time, is believed to have damaged undersea telecommunications cables and the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia in October 2023, Caliber.Az reports, citing Finnish media.

Prosecutors have brought three charges against the 44-year-old Chinese captain, including criminal damage, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison, according to the defence.

Court documents allege he acted “recklessly” and “without lawful excuse” in damaging property. Two additional charges relate to breaches of maritime safety regulations.

According to Reuters, the captain pleaded not guilty to all charges at Hong Kong’s Eastern Magistrates’ Court. Prosecutors said pre-trial preparations uncovered no evidence of Russian involvement. The next hearing is scheduled for May 5.

The trial had been repeatedly delayed, initially because the Mandarin-speaking captain lacked legal representation and interpretation for Cantonese proceedings. Further postponements followed as both sides reviewed evidence from Finland and Estonia.

Defence lawyer Jerry Chung plans to call 18 witnesses, including crew members, Hong Kong officials and maritime experts. Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation said its inquiry remains ongoing.

Authorities suspect the damage occurred when the vessel dragged its anchor along the seabed while travelling to St Petersburg. The ship later arrived with one anchor missing, and an anchor believed to belong to the vessel was later recovered from the seabed.

The ship subsequently left the Baltic Sea without being detained. China has acknowledged the damage but said it was caused by storm conditions, while cooperating with Finnish investigators.

The captain first appeared in court in May 2025 after being detained by Chinese authorities. He has remained in custody and declined bail while awaiting trial. The vessel has since been reflagged to Panama.

By Aghakazim Guliyev