Finnish police say they have carried out preliminary interviews with the crew of the cargo vessel Fitburg, which is suspected of damaging a telecommunications cable.
"Investigative measures have been carried out on board the vessel and the crew has been interviewed. We are now assessing the situation and the crew's role," said Detective Chief Inspector Risto Lohi of Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
"The crew has been cooperative, which helps to clarify the situation," he added.
The ship is sailing under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a small Caribbean island nation. According to police, members of the crew are nationals of Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
Lohi said the investigation is still at an early stage, and police will not comment on whether the case involves possible state-level interference.
At this point, the suspected offences under investigation are aggravated interference with telecommunications, aggravated criminal damage and attempted aggravated criminal damage.
Damage to a telecommunications cable operated by Elisa was detected early on Wednesday morning. Finnish authorities took control of the Fitburg later that morning on suspicion of involvement in the incident.
The vessel is currently docked at Kantvik harbour in Kirkkonummi.
Several cable disruptions have occurred in the Gulf of Finland over the past year, involving foreign vessels.
"A common factor is that, once again, this is a cargo vessel coming from the direction of Russia, and the anchor being deployed is part of the situation. There are both similarities and differences in these cases. Each incident is examined as a separate whole," Detective Chief Inspector Lohi said.
Authorities investigate the vessel
Svenska Yle reporter Dan Granqvist reported that the situation on the Fitburg vessel was calm on Wednesday after 7pm.
Granqvist had a clear view of the ship from about 100 meters away.
In the evening, there were about a dozen authorities on board conducting investigations. The road to the port was closed.
According to Granqvist, the authorities were investigating the bridge, among other things. Some of those investigating the ship were also heavily armed.
At around 7:30pm, the authorities removed a large object from the ship.
Finnish Customs probe ship
Finnish Customs also inspected the cargo vessel Fitburg and said the ship was carrying structural steel, which experts have identified as goods covered by EU sanctions. The import of such items into the EU is prohibited.
The inspection was carried out on Wednesday and included examinations of the vessel’s cargo holds and deck structures. Customs said the cargo remains detained while authorities assess how EU sanctions legislation applies to the case.
An initial inquiry has been launched to determine whether a full criminal investigation into a possible sanctions offence should be opened.
Neither the vessel nor its International Maritime Organisation (IMO) identification number appears on official sanctions lists. However, the sanctions-monitoring group Open Sanctions has previously flagged the ship as a vessel of interest, although this does not mean it is suspected of being part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet.
Finnish Customs, which is responsible for enforcing sanctions, said inspections of vessels focus on identifying the type of cargo being transported and determining whether it includes sanctioned or prohibited goods.
Article updated 1:06pm to add Finnish Customs inspection.
