By Bloomberg News
Feb 8, 2025 (Bloomberg) –A Russian underwater cable in the Baltic Sea has been damaged by an unspecified external impact, Tass reported on Saturday, citing the telecommunications provider PJSC Rostelecom.
Restoration work is underway and the incident has had no impact on subscribers so far, according to the state-owned company.
Finnish media reported earlier that the nation’s coast guard was supervising repair work to a telecom cable in the Gulf of Finland by a Russian ship. It’s unclear when the damage took place.
Instances of cable damage in the Baltic Sea have become more frequent, with Sweden, Norway, and Finland reporting similar incidents over the past several months.
That’s raised worries in the region about security of the subsea energy and data infrastructure. While officials so far can’t pinpoint evidence of sabotage, numerous officials have raised the prospect of malicious activity.
NATO recently increased its surveillance operations following suspected sabotage of undersea cables between Finland and Estonia.
With thousands of vessels passing through it every day, the Baltic Sea is one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — and with it, international energy sanctions against the Kremlin — Western nations expressed concerns that the so-called shadow fleet shipping Russian oil from Baltic ports could cause security breaches and environmental risks due to the age of the vessels and insufficient insurance.
Finland is currently probing the most recent incident, from December, when the vessel Eagle S — identified as a member of the shadow fleet — allegedly pulled up four data cables and a power link from the seabed with its anchor on Dec. 25.
© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 108,903 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
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...
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 108,903 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
