2 arrested after Finnish cargo ship 'Fitburg' seizure over alleged damage to undersea cables

Two crew members of the Finnish cargo ship Fitburg (IMO: 9250397) have been arrested after the vessel was seized on Wednesday over suspicions of damaging undersea cables.

The Caribbean-flagged vessel, which had been travelling from Russia's St Petersburg to Israel's Haifa, was also reportedly carrying cargo that was in violation of European Union (EU) sanctions, as per a Helsinki Times report.

It is owned by Fitburg Shipping Company Ltd and managed by Albros Shipping & Trading.

It was when the Finnish telecom company Elisa reported damage to one of its undersea cables connecting Finland and Estonia that the Finnish Border Guard (FBG) took notice. The Swedish telecom company Arelion had also reported a similar issue.

The Fitburg was among the three vessels identified by the FBG as causes of the undersea cable damage. Soon after, it was observed sailing from the Estonian EEZ into Finnish waters with its anchor chain down.

This raised suspicions, and the cargo vessel was ordered by the FBG to stop, raise anchor, and move into the Port of Kantvik in Finland's Kirkkonummi.

Turva, an FBG patrol ship, and a helicopter, were used to seize the cargo vessel and to later guide it to the Kantvik Port under judicial orders.

The Finnish authorities launched an investigation into the cargo vessel's role in the undersea cable damage incident—on counts of aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage, and aggravated interference with telecommunications.

Finnish customs authorities also found sanctioned Russian steel aboard the vessel, which will invite more legal trouble for the Fitburg, despite it not falling under official UN/EU sanctions lists.

The four-hour customs operation after the seizure of the Finnish ship involved the physical verification of goods, detailed compartment checks, and a review of shipping documents.