Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) completed its investigation into the oil tanker Eagle S, which is suspected of deliberately damaging undersea information infrastructure in the Gulf of Finland last Christmas, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported.

The Eagle S is suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 undersea power cable and four telecommunications cables between Finland and Estonia by dragging its anchor along the seabed for more than 100 kilometers.

The ship was impounded by Finnish authorities immediately, on December 25, and released in early March after police completed the initial phase of their preliminary investigation.

Three senior crew members are now suspected of serious crimes in connection with the incident, down from an initial list of nine suspects — the ship's captain, first officer and second officer, who have been blocked from leaving Finland since the start of the investigation.

Yle Svenska reported that the crew members are suspected of aggravated sabotage and aggravated disruption of telecommunications traffic.

The KRP has forwarded its investigation to a prosecutor, who will decide whether to press charges or not. The case could potentially go to trial in late August or early September.

The Eagle S, registered in the Cook Islands, is believed to be part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet, a fleet of vessels used by Moscow to circumvent sanctions.

Earlier this month, the EU adopted its 17th sanctions package against Russia, which among other measures added 189 new vessels to the sanctions list — more than doubling the number of EU-sanctioned vessels to 342.

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