Finland's telecommunications operator, Cinia, reported damage to its C-Lion1 cable in the Baltic Sea on Monday. The damage may have occurred as early as January 26th, coinciding with the time a cargo ship broke another undersea cable in the area.
Swedish and Finnish authorities are investigating the incident as a suspected case of sabotage. However, the cause of the damage remains unknown.
The Baltic Sea region has been on high alert since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with increased NATO presence and a series of power cable, telecom, and gas pipeline outages. Most of these incidents have been attributed to civilian ships dragging their anchors.
Cinia believes the damage to the C-Lion1 cable occurred on January 26th at 02:37 a.m. Finnish time (00:37 GMT). This timeframe aligns with the reported outage of a nearby subsea fiber optic cable connecting Sweden and Latvia.
A Swedish prosecutor concluded that the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier Vezhen ruptured the Sweden-Latvia cable with its anchor on January 26th. However, the incident was deemed an accident and not sabotage.
Swedish police and Navigation Maritime Bulgare, the Bulgarian shipping company that owns the Vezhen, have not yet responded to requests for comment.
6 Comments
Manolo Noriega
“While it may turn out to be an accident, the investigation is crucial in preventing potential future sabotage.”
Fuerza
“Excellent to see the scrutiny of maritime operations. Identifying potential risks now can save much larger problems later.”
Manolo Noriega
“It’s absurd to blame sabotage when we already know these outages are often due to simple human error like dragging anchors.”
Ongania
“With so many issues in the Baltic region, every cable outage deserves thorough scrutiny. Safety must come first.”
Manolo Noriega
“The text conflates civilian errors with deliberate actions. There’s a big difference, and it feels like a cover for political objectives.”
Martin L King
“I’m skeptical of this narrative. Every unrelated incident is being linked to a ‘suspicious’ plot just to justify increased military presence.”