After weeks of investigation into alleged sabotage of a Chinese bulk carrier Cutting two undersea network cables Linking Finland and Sweden to Central Europe, Denmark facilitated meetings between the relevant parties and China, allowing representatives from Finland, Denmark and Germany to board Yipeng 3. Reuters It said that the Chinese authorities conducted an investigation and that European parties participated as observers. Meanwhile, new footage of underwater damage has further raised suspicions of sabotage.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lok Rasmussen said: “We expect that once personnel from these four countries complete the inspection, the ship will be able to sail to its destination.” On the other hand, Swedish police stated that China was only acting as an observer Board the ship for investigation. “Meanwhile, preliminary investigations into two cable breaks in the Baltic Sea continue,” Swedish authorities said in a statement.
However, recent underwater footage reportedly showed signs of drag consistent with the vessel’s movements, further fueling suspicions of sabotage. TV 2 (via scandacia). Records show that on November 17 last year, the ship passed through the BCS East-West Link connecting Sweden and Lithuania while making slow, erratic movements that were unusual for a commercial cargo ship sailing. This happened again today when Yi Peng 3 crossed the C-Channel.
Although the underwater footage was recorded at the request of a private media outlet rather than an investigative agency, it appears to provide more evidence for the allegation: The ship drags anchor and cause damage to submarine cables. Another unanswered question is whether this was an accident or an intentional act.
At the time of the incident, the Chinese-flagged ship “Yipeng 3” was en route from Ust-Luga, Russia (about 50 miles east of St. Petersburg) to Port Said, Egypt. Neither Russia nor China claimed responsibility for the incident, which occurred almost on the same day that the United States allowed Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike Russian territory. Coincidence or not, Beijing said it was “fully communicating” with the countries involved in the joint investigation and was willing to work together to “safely resolve the incident.”
The ship, which was intercepted by the Danish navy days after the incident, is currently anchored in the Kattegat strait between Denmark and Sweden. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson urged the ship’s captain to dock in Sweden and help with the investigation. But because it is currently in international waters, neither Sweden nor NATO can force it to go anywhere without violating more than a dozen laws and treaties.