A gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia was damaged shortly after a Russian fiber optic cable under the Baltic Sea was harmed last month, only 28 kilometers( 17 miles ) away, according to Russian state company Rostelecom on Tuesday( Nov 7 ).
Estonian police believe that a Chinese pot ship dragging its anchor along the seabed is to blame for the damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline, but they are unsure if this was an accident or intentional behavior.
In light of the Ukraine conflict, the protection of sub-sea cables and pipelines in the Baltic has grown to be a top priority, particularly following the devastation of Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipes next season. Who was at fault has not yet been determined by researchers.
Rostelecom did not provide any information regarding the” injury” to the fiber connector connecting Russia’s European procedure of Kaliningrad with the rest of the nation in a statement.
However, it made note of the incident’s geographic and timing proximity to the damaged Balticconnector oil pipeline.
” The Baltic Sea fiber optic cable damage to the Rostelecom company was recorded on October 7, 2023 at 23.30 ( Moscow time ).” According to the report, the cord injury is situated 28 kilometers from the area of the Baltic Connector fuel pipeline that was damaged on October 8.
The Hong Kong-flagged pot carrier NewNew Polar Bear has been identified as the main suspect in harming the gas pipeline by Estonian police in charge of the pipeline investigation. The pipe was broken, according to the researchers, as a dispatch dragged it across the water bed. A big anchor was discovered near.
According to Operator Gasgrid, the line may not be operational until April or later. According to international law, China has stated that it is prepared to provide the required information.
On October 7 and 8, two additional European telecoms cables that connect Estonia to Finland and Sweden were likewise damaged.
According to Rostelecom’s speech, a specialized vessel began maintenance on the fiber optic cable on November 5 and, depending on weather conditions, the work was anticipated to take 10 days.
Customers had not been impacted, according to the statement, because storage satellite channels and earth routes were used for data transmission.