Two Fitburg crew members detained over Baltic submarine cable damage

Two crew members of the cargo ship Fitburg have been arrested on suspicion of damaging an undersea cable between Helsinki and Tallinn on December 31, while two others have been banned from leaving the country.

On January 1, police questioned 14 crew members, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The ship was travelling from St. Petersburg to Haifa, Israel, and its crew included citizens of Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Authorities have not disclosed the specific roles of the crew members at this stage.

The incident occurred in Estonia’s economic zone. The damaged cable belongs to Finnish operator Elisa. The 132-meter vessel, registered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was headed for the southern coast of Finland near Helsinki.

Commissioner Risto Lohi noted that the case is similar to previous incidents where cargo ships departing from Russian ports damaged cables by dropping anchors. Nearly a year ago, on Christmas 2024, the tanker Eagle S damaged undersea telecommunications and power cables between Estonia and Finland. 

Charges were brought against the ship’s officers, but a Helsinki court later dismissed the case, ruling that Finland lacked jurisdiction as the incident occurred in the economic zone, not territorial waters.

By Jeyhun Aghazada