Finland Expands Travel Ban in Baltic Subsea Cable Incident

On January 13, Finland imposed a travel restriction on a ninth crew member of the Eagle S, a vessel implicated in the December 25th damage to several subsea cables in the Baltic Sea.

Finnish authorities discovered that the Eagle S was positioned at the exact location where one of the cables was severed. This prompted a swift response: a helicopter carrying a police tactical team was dispatched, and the vessel was ordered to reroute to Finland. Upon arrival, the ship was seized, its cargo detained, and travel bans were placed on several crew members.

Initially, eight of the vessel’s 24 crew members were restricted from leaving Finland. With the latest development, a ninth individual is now also subject to the ban as part of the ongoing criminal investigation. 

The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed that all nine crew members are being questioned. Authorities clarified that travel bans serve as a less restrictive alternative to formal arrests, allowing suspects freedom of movement within the country while remaining accessible to investigators.

The incident, suspected to be an act of sabotage, caused widespread disruptions to Finland's power and telecommunications infrastructure. Authorities have suggested that had they not intervened by redirecting the Eagle S to Finnish waters, the vessel might have continued to damage additional cables.

Currently, the Eagle S, which sails under the Cook Islands flag, remains detained near Porvoo’s Anchorage in Finnish waters as investigations proceed.