Yi Peng 3 was traveling from the Russian port of Ust-Luga to Port Said, Egypt and passed in proximity of the Finnish-German and Swedish-Lithuanian cables around the time they stopped working.
The bulk carrier passed through the Kattegat sea area yesterday evening with Danish Navy patrols in close pursuit. Around 8pm CET time Yi Peng 3 departed from the main shipping corridor, slowed down, and has remained at anchor since then. Danish Navy patrol vessel HDMS Rota (P525) has remained on site since then, with the larger HDMS Søløven (Y311) circling in the area several hours later.
AIS data showing Yi Peng 3 at anchor with Danish Navy patrol P525 nearby on November 20. (Source: Marinetraffic.com)
The Danish Armed Forces confirmed on X that it is “present” in the area near the ship, but it remains unconfirmed if Danish Navy personnel inspected or boarded the vessel.
Regarding the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3: The Danish Defence can confirm that we are present in the area near the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3. The Danish Defence currently has no further comments. https://t.co/11s3yeR4PB
Officials in neighboring countries involved in the incident, including Sweden and Germany, commented on the matter during an EU meeting of Ministers of Defense in Brussels yesterday.
Carl-Oskar Bohlin, Sweden’s Civil Defence Minister, confirmed, “We can verify that military and Coast Guard units have detected vessel movements matching the timing and location of the disruptions.”
German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, bluntly stated. “No one believes that these cables were cut by accident. I also don’t subscribe to theories suggesting that ship anchors caused the damage to the cables.”
“We have to assume, without certain information, that the damage is caused by sabotage,” he continued.
Hybrid warfare targeting critical subsea infrastructure has been on the rise and European officials were quick to condemn the incident and promise a thorough investigation.
In contrast to last year’s Balticonnector incident involving NewNew Polar Bear, authorities appear to have acted swiftly to investigate the incident and secure evidence. NewNew Polar Bear had returned to Russian waters along the Arctic Northern Sea Route when its missing anchor was spotted and an investigation was launched.
Only one tank filled with jet fuel was damaged after the U.S. military-contracted tanker that was transporting a shipment was struck by a cargo ship off England's northeast coast, U.S. logistics firm Crowley said.
The captain of a ship that hit a U.S. tanker off northeast England is a Russian national, the company which owns the vessel said, as police continued their inquiries into the accident and fears over the environmental impact of the crash eased.
Off the East Yorkshire coast, a grave incident is unfolding where the U.S.-flagged oil tanker MV Stena Immaculate loaded with jet fuel, a ship designated critical to US national security in the Department...
March 10, 2025
Total Views: 7837
Sign Up Now for gCaptain Daily
We’ve got your daily industry news related to the global maritime and offshore industries.
JOIN OUR CREW
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 108,881 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.