Latest news with #C-Lion1
Local Sweden
15-04-2025
- Local Sweden
Swedish probe finds no conclusive evidence Chinese ship cut cables deliberately
Swedish authorities have not managed to find any evidence that a Chinese-flagged bulk carrier was intentionally dragging its anchor when it severed two subsea cables in the Baltic Sea last year. Advertisement Tensions have mounted around the Baltic Sea since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and after Finland and Sweden joined Nato, with a string of incidents involving damage to undersea cables and other infrastructure. In a report on April 15th the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (SHK) found that the Yi Peng 3 cut the two telecommunications cables after dragging its anchor off Sweden's southeastern coast for one and a half days and 180 nautical miles. But it said it was unable to conclude definitively that the vessel, built in 2001 and owned by Chinese company Ningbo Yipeng Shipping Co, cut the cables on purpose. "There are two alternative scenarios for the incident, one of which is that the ship deliberately dropped anchor to cause damage to seabed infrastructure," the authority said. "Arguing against this alternative is the deliberate risk to the ship entailed in releasing the anchor at speed, with high risk that the ship and crew operating the anchor would be seriously harmed during the release," it said. "The other alternative is that the anchor came loose because it was poorly or not at all secured," the SHK said. However the lack of damage to the ship and the length of time the anchor spent on the sea floor "speak to some extent against this scenario", it added. Advertisement On November 17th, the Arelion telecommunications cable running from the Swedish island of Gotland to Lithuania was damaged. The next day, the C-Lion 1 communications cable linking Finland to Germany was cut south of Sweden's Oland island. The SHK noted that it was only allowed on board to examine the Yi Peng 3's anchor and question crew members more than a month after the incident, and was not granted access to any electronic data. Many experts and political leaders have attributed a spate of incidents in the Baltic since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine to a "hybrid war" carried out by Russia. Sweden, Finland and Germany all launched investigations over the November 17th-18th incidents and Swedish police said they suspected "sabotage". The SHK said its assessment "does not prevent the Swedish Prosecution Authority from conducting a preliminary investigation into a suspected crime".
National News
31-03-2025
- Politics
- National News
NATO probe finds no proof Russia destroyed Baltic Sea cables
NNA - Investigations into the destruction of cables in the Baltic Sea have found no evidence of Russia's involvement, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Citing officials familiar with the investigations, the newspaper stated that "no proof has been found that Moscow ordered or orchestrated the destruction." Meanwhile, Belgian Navy Commander Erik Kockx, who leads a group participating in a NATO mission in the Baltic Sea, acknowledged the difficulty in assessing the impact of the alliance's increased presence. "It's quite difficult to prove that our presence helps. It's hard to say that if we hadn't been there, something would have occurred," Kockx said. Mission Baltic Sentry On January 14, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced the launch of Mission Baltic Sentry, an initiative aimed at protecting underwater infrastructure, including power and data cables. The mission involves frigates and maritime patrol aircraft from NATO member states and was initiated in response to damage sustained by a subsea cable connecting Finland and Estonia on December 25, 2024. The incident has fueled speculation about potential sabotage, but investigators have yet to attribute responsibility for the attack. NATO officials have emphasized the importance of safeguarding critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, given the strategic significance of the region. Submarine telecom cables destroyed In late November 2024, two submarine telecommunication cables, the BCS East-West Interlink and C-Lion1 fiber-optic cables, were disrupted in the Baltic Sea. The BCS East-West Interlink is a 218 km long submarine data communication cable that runs through the Baltic Sea, built in 1997. It connects Sventoji in Lithuania to Katthammarsvik on the east coast of the Swedish island of Gotland. From Gotland, another cable passes data to the Swedish mainland. The C-Lion1 is a submarine communications cable between Finland and Germany. The cable is owned and operated by Finnish telecommunications and IT services company Cinia Oy. It is the first direct communications cable between Finland and Central Europe and has been in operation since May 2016. European officials had claimed several of the incidents were sabotage allegedly linked to Russia's war in Ukraine, with the Kremlin dismissing this as "absurd" and "laughable". --- Al Mayadeen
The Independent
03-03-2025
- The Independent
Sabotage attempt could have left entire Swedish holiday island without water
Police are investigating a case of attempted sabotage involving the water supply on a holiday island in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Sweden. The entire island of Gotland could have been left without water had the possible sabotage not been discovered, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet Daily reported on Monday, citing anonymous sources. The area has been cordoned off and technicians are investigating. "We are aware of an incident that was reported yesterday but it is being handled by police," a Swedish Security Service spokesperson told Reuters. A police spokesperson declined to comment. Gotland is Sweden's largest island with a coastline spanning 800 kilometres. The Pippi Longstocking TV series was entirely filmed in the island's main town of Visby - which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The report comes just days after the suspected sabotage of an undersea telecoms cable was discovered just off Gotland. It is not suggested the incidents are related. Finnish operator Cinia said it had detected problems on its C-Lion1 fibre-optic link connecting Finland and Germany and later confirmed the cable was damaged even as data traffic continued to flow. Finland's National Bureau of Investigation said a preliminary investigation was launched. Swedish police are also investigating because the breach occurred in Sweden's economic zone. Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the government was being briefed and that damage to any undersea infrastructure was particularly concerning amid the current security situation. No suspects had been identified. Sweden's coast guard deployed a vessel to the area as multiple seabed cables have been damaged in recent months, however, some were ruled accidental. The Baltic Sea region in general is on alert after a series of power cable, telecom and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The European Commission said it would propose boosting surveillance of undersea cables and establishing a fleet of vessels available to carry out repairs in emergencies.
Japan Times
25-02-2025
- Japan Times
Damage to Baltic Sea telecoms cable may have occurred in January
STOCKHOLM – Finland's telecoms operator said on Monday that the damage reported last week to its C-Lion1 telecoms cable in the Baltic Sea may have occurred as early as Jan. 26, the same day a cargo ship broke another undersea cable in the area. Swedish and Finnish police said on Friday they were investigating a suspected case of sabotage of the C-Lion1 cable running along the seabed from Finland to Germany, while adding it was not immediately clear when the damage had occurred. The Baltic Sea region is on alert and the NATO alliance has boosted its presence after a series of power cable, telecom and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Most have been caused by civilian ships dragging their anchors. Operator Cinia said in an emailed statement on Monday that it believed the damage of the C-Lion1 had occurred on Jan. 26 at 2:37 a.m. Finnish time (00:37 GMT) and that the cause was still unknown. The time closely coincides with that of an outage of a nearby subsea fiber-optic cable linking Sweden and Latvia, which was reported at the time. A Swedish prosecutor said on Feb. 3 he had concluded that a Maltese-flagged bulk carrier, the Vezhen, had ruptured the cable linking Sweden and Latvia with its anchor, but that it had been an accident and not sabotage. The Vezhen passed the Sweden-Latvia cable at 0045 GMT on Jan. 26, MarineTraffic data showed. Swedish police did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted on Monday. Bulgarian shipping company Navigation Maritime Bulgare, which lists the Vezhen among its fleet, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Globe and Mail
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Damage to Baltic Sea telecoms cable may have occurred in January, Finland's operator says
Finland's telecoms operator said on Monday that the damage reported last week to its C-Lion1 telecoms cable in the Baltic Sea may have occurred as early as Jan. 26, the same day a cargo ship broke another undersea cable in the area. Swedish and Finnish police said on Friday they were investigating a suspected case of sabotage of the C-Lion1 cable running along the seabed from Finland to Germany, while adding it was not immediately clear when the damage had occurred. The Baltic Sea region is on alert and the NATO alliance has boosted its presence after a series of power cable, telecom and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Most have been caused by civilian ships dragging their anchors. Operator Cinia said in an emailed statement on Monday that it believed the damage of the C-Lion1 had occurred on January 26 at 0237 a.m. Finnish time (0037 GMT) and that the cause was still unknown. The time closely coincides with that of an outage of a nearby subsea fibre optic cable linking Sweden and Latvia, which was reported at the time. A Swedish prosecutor said on February 3 he had concluded that a Maltese-flagged bulk carrier, the Vezhen, had ruptured the cable linking Sweden and Latvia with its anchor, but that it had been an accident and not sabotage. The Vezhen passed the Sweden-Latvia cable at 0045 GMT on Jan. 26, MarineTraffic data analyzed by Reuters showed. Swedish police did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by Reuters on Monday. Bulgarian shipping company Navigation Maritime Bulgare, which lists the Vezhen among its fleet, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
