A Chinese commercial bulk carrier is being accused of intentionally severing undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, crippling communications between at least four nations.
The Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 is a 225-meter-long (738 feet) vessel. From Nov. 10 to 15, it was docked in the Port of Ust-Luga in Russia, around 70 miles west of St. Petersburg, while it was loaded with fertilizer.
European investigators have accused Yi Peng 3 of deliberately dragging its anchor across the seafloor for over 100 miles from Nov. 17 to 18 to cut two undersea cables connecting Sweden to Lithuania (the BCS East-West Interlink) and Germany to Finland (C-Lion1). It successfully caused damage to both. (Related: Moscow accuses U.S. and U.K. of plotting to sabotage Russian undersea cables to BREAK the global internet.)
Tracking data proves that the ship was near the cables at the time they were damaged, prompting both Swedish and Danish authorities to launch investigations into potential sabotage.
While investigations are ongoing, the governments of Sweden and Finland have confirmed that the damage to both the BCS and C-Lion1 is likely deliberate.
"We assume this could very well be sabotage, but we don't know anything yet," said Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. "The destroyed cables must be carefully investigated."
Statements from the governments of Denmark, Finland and Germany have urged caution in placing blame, but indicated that they do not believe the undersea cables were damaged accidentally."
The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service noted that, of the approximately 200 incidents of damage to undersea cables reported annually, most are caused by human activity such as fishing or anchoring.
"If the immediate assessment is that it is sabotage and it comes from outside, then it is obviously serious," said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
"No one believes the cables were accidentally damaged," said German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius.
Yi Peng 3 being prevented from returning to China
On Nov. 20, the Yi Peng 3 was surrounded by warships from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the Kattegat Strait, the sea separating Denmark and Sweden, where it was forced to anchor. Its departure is being prevented while the investigation into its potential participation in the act of sabotage remains ongoing.
International maritime law prevents NATO warships – belonging to Denmark, Germany and Sweden – from forcibly relocating the Yi Peng 3 to a NATO port. They are also prevented from forcibly accessing the ship to question the crew and to inspect the ship's systems, although unconfirmed reports claim that investigators have already boarded the vessel.
What is known so far is that, around the time it traversed through the area where the undersea cables were located, Yi Peng 3 experienced a "dark incident," during which it shut off its transponder and significantly reduced its speed. This is believed to be the time when its anchor was lowered to deliberately damage the undersea cables.
"It's extremely unlikely that the captain would not have noticed that his ship dropped and dragged its anchor, losing speed for hours and cutting cables on the way," said one European investigator involved in the case.
The Chinese government has denied the accusations, with Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian dismissing suspicions that Yi Peng 3 is involved.
"China has consistently and fully fulfilled its obligations as a flag state and requires Chinese vessels to strictly abide by the relevant laws and regulations," claimed Lin.
Watch this episode of "Evolutionary Energy Arts" as hosts Michael and Cindy Lazaro discuss the undersea cables in Europe severed by a Chinese vessel.
This video is from the Evolutionary Energy Arts channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Chinese vessel now suspected of "sabotaging" Baltic Sea cables; Dutch Navy looking into it.
Undersea internet cable sabotage could unleash a worldwide disaster.
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