European investigators believe a Chinese-owned merchant ship deliberately dragged its anchor to disrupt two undersea communications cables that were severed in the Baltic Sea earlier this month. However, Western law enforcement and intelligence officials told the Wall Street Journal they do not believe the Chinese government was involved. The investigation is instead focused on whether Russian intelligence persuaded the captain to carry out the operation.
For the past week, NATO warships from Denmark, Germany and Sweden have surrounded the 225-metre-long Yipen 3. The ship’s owner, China’s Ningbo Yipen Shipping, is reportedly cooperating with investigators. Shippers allowed merchant ships to anchor in international waters.
According to the Journal, Swedish and German authorities are negotiating with the ship’s owner for access to the ship and its crew. International maritime law prohibits NATO from forcing ships into its ports.
European investigators believe the Yipen 3 dragged its anchor more than 100 miles along the Baltic Sea floor between November 17 and 18. They reviewed satellite and other data that showed the ship was moving significantly slower than normal under the weight of its anchor, the report said.
The accident severed two data cables: one between Lithuania and Sweden, and the other between Finland and Germany. After cutting the second cable, the ship reportedly zigzagged, hoisted anchor, and sailed away.
Officials said the ship’s transponder stopped working during the incident. Investigators told the Journal that an examination of the anchor and hull revealed damage consistent with that description.
“It is highly unlikely that the captain did not notice that the ship had fallen, dragged its anchor, lost speed for hours en route, and severed the cable,” a senior European investigator told the Journal. . An analysis firm specializing in international shipping told the newspaper that the chance of an accidental anchor pulling “appears minimal”.
The Yipeng 3 sailed only in Chinese waters from December 2019 to early March 2024, but at that point it suddenly started transporting Russian coal and other goods and stopped at Russian ports. I started. It was carrying Russian fertilizer when the Danish Navy stopped it.
In September, the United States warned of an increased risk of Russian interference with undersea data cables.
