Damage to Finland’s C-Lion1 Telecoms Cable in Baltic Sea May Have Occurred on Same Day as Another Cable Incident
Last week, Finland’s telecoms operator reported damage to its C-Lion1 telecoms cable in the Baltic Sea, suspecting sabotage. It has now been revealed that the damage may have occurred as early as January 26, the same day a cargo ship broke another undersea cable in the area.
Swedish and Finnish authorities are currently investigating the suspected sabotage of the C-Lion1 cable, which runs along the seabed from Finland to Germany. While the exact timing of the damage is still unclear, the incident has raised concerns in the Baltic Sea region.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the NATO alliance has increased its presence in the region. A series of outages affecting power cables, telecoms infrastructure, and gas pipelines have been reported, with many incidents attributed to civilian ships inadvertently damaging undersea cables by dragging their anchors.
Operator Cinia stated in an email on Monday that they believe the damage to the C-Lion1 occurred on January 26 at 0237 a.m. Finnish time (0037 GMT). The cause of the damage is still unknown, but it coincides closely with an outage of a nearby subsea fiber optic cable linking Sweden and Latvia.
A Swedish prosecutor recently determined that a Maltese-flagged bulk carrier, the Vezhen, was responsible for damaging the cable between Sweden and Latvia with its anchor. However, it was deemed an accident rather than an act of sabotage. MarineTraffic data analyzed by Reuters showed that the Vezhen passed the Sweden-Latvia cable at 0045 GMT on January 26.
At this time, Swedish police have not provided any further comments on the matter. Additionally, the Bulgarian shipping company Navigation Maritime Bulgare, which owns the Vezhen, has not responded to requests for comment.
The incidents in the Baltic Sea highlight the vulnerability of undersea cables and the potential risks posed by accidental damage or deliberate sabotage. As investigations continue, authorities will be looking to enhance security measures to prevent future disruptions to critical communication infrastructure in the region.
(Image source: Marine Technology News)