Anchor of Chinese container vessel caused damage to Balticconnector gas pipeline, Finnish police say

By JARI TANNER
Associated Press

HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish investigators say they believe an anchor of a Chinese container ship was dislodged and caused the damage to the undersea Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia on the Baltic Sea earlier this month. The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday it has evidence and data pointing to the Hong Kong-flagged cargo vessel Newnew Polar Bear as the culprit in damaging the pipeline running across the Gulf of Finland. Whether the pipeline damage was intentional, unintentional or caused by “bad seafaring” is still to be investigated. Beijing has called for an objective investigation. Repair work is expected to take at least until the end of April 2024.