China supports Finland in pipeline leak investigation

Helsinki/Beijing/Brussels – According to Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Finland is working with China to investigate a pipeline leak discovered in the Baltic Sea over two weeks ago. “We are cooperating with China to determine the role of a Chinese ship that was in the area,” Orpo said on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels. “They have promised us good cooperation,” he added.

The Balticconnector pipeline between Finland and Estonia was closed on October 8 due to a drop in pressure. According to the operator, repairs to the pipeline will take at least five months.

The Finnish police recovered an anchor believed to belong to a Chinese ship and apparently caused the leak in the gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia. Helsinki released photos of alleged scratches from the anchor on the seabed. The six-ton anchor presumably grazed the Balticconnector pipeline and was torn off.

Finnish authorities did not speculate on whether the damage was intentionally caused. The investigation led to the freighter “Newnew Polar Bear”, flying the flag of Hong Kong. The police said they tried unsuccessfully to contact the captain of the ship, which continued into Russian waters. The Finnish authorities were unable to inspect the ship but received reports of observations suggesting that the anchor appeared to be missing from the left bow of the “Newnew Polar Bear”.

On Monday, Stockholm announced that an underwater telecommunications cable between Sweden and Estonia had been damaged by “external force” or “manipulation,” likely around the same time as the gas pipeline.

The incidents raised suspicions of Russian involvement. Finland joined NATO this year following the Russian war against Ukraine. Sweden also wants to join.

The damage to the pipeline also brought back memories of the damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in September 2022 due to a series of underwater explosions. NATO has reportedly increased its patrols in the Baltic Sea.