Finnish authorities have taken into custody the oil tanker Eagle S, suspected of belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet” used to finance its Ukraine war. Registered in the Cook Islands, the vessel was seized as part of an investigation into the recent rupture of the Estlink-2 undersea power cable that connects Finland and Estonia, Finnish police said. Officials are treating the incident as “aggravated criminal mischief.
The Eagle S was on the way from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Port Said, Egypt, when it was seized. The registration of this ship and its possible relations with Russia’s secret exports of oil made the investigations concerned. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, in a statement, added that dismantling Russia’s shadow fleet is crucial in this regard, as it plays an important role in evading Western sanctions and channeling funds into its ongoing war in Ukraine.
A shadow fleet the operations of which reach far into Russia, has recently been in the spotlight for a Finnish-based think tank: the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Indeed, half of the 369 vessels exporting Russian crude oil and oil products in November operated within this network. This is what Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who further emphasizes the urgency in dealing with these security risks posed by the shadow fleet.
The investigation into the destroyed Estlink-2 cable once again puts a focus on the growing threat to the region’s critical infrastructure. In response to the recent events connected with underwater cables, all authorities are on high alert. Last November, the data cables connecting Germany with Finland and Sweden with Lithuania were also cut. Those incidents were followed by a storm of speculations about sabotage from Russia. However, direct evidence is still not produced against Russia in such matters, and the events sparked fears of growing risks towards infrastructure.
The detention of the Eagle S is a statement of Finland’s commitment to countering security threats in the Baltic Sea while addressing the economic machinery supporting Russia’s war efforts. The case, therefore, brings out the bigger challenge of monitoring and intercepting covert maritime activities in an increasingly tense geopolitical situation.
