The criminal investigative measures concerning the cable damage have reached a stage where the authorities have been able to cancel the ship's seizure. The Eagle S tanker will leave Finland's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone under the control of the Border Guard, the Finnish police said.

On 25 December 2024, Finland's transmission system operator Fingrid reported to the authorities that the EstLink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia may have been damaged. The Border Guard took immediate action to investigate possible damage to critical infrastructure.

The Finnish Border Guard and the Defense Forces provided helicopters for the field operation led by the Helsinki Police. The police special intervention unit Karhu and the special intervention unit of the Border Guard roped down from helicopters to take control of the tanker on the night between December 25 and 26. 

The decision to release the tanker will not affect other legal proceedings associated with the incident. Fingrid and its Estonian counterpart Elering plan to sue for damages but will initially pay for the electricity cable's repair themselves to restore the power link as soon as possible.

Eight members of the Eagle S' crew are suspected of a criminal offense, with three of them still subject to travel bans. The bans against traveling for the other five were lifted this closing week.

The Finnish police has said it plans to wrap up its initial investigation by late April.

Elering: Cost of Eagle S seizure hundreds of thousands of euros per month

Elering announced on Sunday that, together with the Finnish system operator Fingrid, it has withdrawn its request to seize the tanker as compensation for damages caused by the destruction of EstLink 2. Instead, the company now plans to sue the ship's owner to recover repair costs.

According to Elering CEO Kalle Kilk the decision to withdraw the seizure request was driven by the excessively high costs associated with detaining the vessel.

"The estimated cost of keeping the ship under arrest amounts to hundreds of thousands of euros per month. Additionally, the seizure requires a deposit of one million euros, along with several other expenses, which could ultimately exceed the ship's total value. Moreover, selling the vessel during a legal dispute would be extremely difficult," Kilk explained.

As a result, the system operators plan to take legal action against the ship's owner to cover the repair costs, though the court proceedings could take five to six years.

If the investigation finds crew members guilty, their liability will be handled separately in a criminal case, independent of the compensation claim. "For Elering, it is crucial that the damages are covered and that no one feels they can destroy underwater infrastructure without consequences," Kilk stated.

The article was updated to add comments from Estonia's TSO, Elering.

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