❝ Finnish authorities have seized the cargo ship Fitburg off the coast of Porkkala in connection with damage to an undersea data cable owned by telecoms provider Elisa. The vessel, which departed from Saint Petersburg on 30 December, was intercepted in the Gulf of Finland after being identified as the suspected source of a disruption to the connection between Helsinki and Tallinn.
The vessel, flying the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was reportedly en route to Israel. Finnish officials located the ship using data provided by Elisa, which had detected the fault in one of its submarine cables early on Wednesday morning.
The cable break was discovered at around 05:00 Finnish time. Elisa immediately notified the Border Guard, which launched a joint investigation involving a patrol vessel and a helicopter. Authorities found the Fitburg operating with its anchor chain deployed while within Finland’s exclusive economic zone.
The vessel was ordered to raise its anchor and proceed to a designated anchorage point inside Finnish territorial waters, where it remains under state control. The point of damage to the cable lies in Estonia’s economic zone, but the Finnish Border Guard took operational control of the interception due to the ship’s location.
Responsibility for the investigation has now shifted from the Finnish Coast Guard to the Helsinki Police Department. The case is being treated as suspected aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage and aggravated interference with telecommunications.
The police are conducting the inquiry in cooperation with several national and international agencies, including the Finnish Defence Forces, Customs, Traficom, the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes), and electricity transmission operator Fingrid. Estonian authorities have also been notified, and cross-border coordination is ongoing.
In a statement on social media, President Alexander Stubb said that the Finnish state leadership is monitoring the situation closely.
“Finland is prepared for a range of security challenges and will respond as required,” Stubb wrote.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo also commented on the matter, confirming that state agencies are working together to determine the cause and extent of the damage.
Elisa said the disruption has not affected its domestic services in Finland or Estonia due to network redundancy. Data traffic has been rerouted through alternative undersea cable connections.
The company is preparing to begin physical repair work, but adverse weather conditions have so far prevented access to the damaged section. ❞