China admits container ship Newnew Polar Bear damaged undersea gas pipeline
Claiming it was an accident, Beijing has admitted that the Chinese-owned and Hong Kong-flagged container ship Newnew Polar Bear damaged the Balticconnector, an undersea gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland, last October.
The South China Morning Post reported Monday that Chinese authorities conducted an internal investigation and forwarded the results to the two European countries.
According to the Chinese-language report, the accident was caused by a strong storm.
Finland and Estonia are still conducting a joint criminal investigation centered on the NewNew Polar Bear.
Report inadmissible in Estonia
The paper writes that the report in question is circulating in various ministries now, however it is not admissible as official evidence in investigations. Both countries called on Beijing to respond to their urgent requests for information regarding the ship.
In Estonia, a spokesperson for the Prosecutor's Office said that this document has not been sent to their office, and that it "can't be used as evidence in an Estonian criminal investigation."
A spokesperson for Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) declined to confirm whether it had received this document, but said that its own investigation is ongoing.
The investigation has involved cooperation with the Chinese authorities, and the KRP has, among other things, "submitted a request for legal assistance to the competent Chinese authorities," said KRP communications director Anna Zareff.
"It must be stated that the investigation is still ongoing, and final conclusions [regarding] what was behind these incidents (technical failure, negligence/poor seamanship, deliberate act), can be made only after all necessary investigative measures have been finalized, and this will still take some time," she noted.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request by the South China Morning Post for comment.
Anchor linked to pipeline damage
On October 8, 2023, an anchor of the Hong Kong-registered vessel Newnew Polar Bear damaged the Balticconnector gas pipeline.
The incident occurred in the Finnish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), where Finnish authorities retrieved the anchor from the seabed on October 24.
Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) reported that the same type of paint was identified on the anchor as on the Balticconnector and that it most likely belonged to the Newnew Polar Bear.
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Editor: Karl Kivil, Aili Vahtla
