Finnish prosecutors filed charges against the captain and bosun of a small cargo ship that they reported damaged two subsea telecom cables on December 31 and that they believe were attempting to damage additional cables when the ship was stopped. A decision on possible charges against two other officers from the cargo ship, who are also detained in Finland, will be made at a later date, prosecutors said.
The captain, who is a Russian citizen, and the bosun, who is an Azerbaijani citizen, were each charged with “aggravated criminal mischief” and aggravated interference with telecommunications. Prosecutors said the charges also include alternate indictments, with the newspaper reports saying the offenses carry prison sentences ranging between two and ten years.
The charges stem from an incident on December 31, 2025, when Finnish telecom company Elisa reported a fault on one of its cables running between Estonia and Finland. Later, Swedish telecom company Arelion also reported an interruption on another cable running between Estonia and Finland.
The Finnish Coast Guard launched an investigation and initially identified three ships, but within a matter of hours had centered on the Fitburg, a 9,900 dwt cargo ship owned by a Turkish businessman with links to Russia. The ship had departed Saint Petersburg the prior day, and was spotted by the Coast Guard moving from the Estonian to Finnish EEZ with its anchor down.
The Coast Guard ordered the ship to stop and to raise its anchor. Finnish troops boarded the ship for an inspection and directed it into a Finnish anchorage. Multiple investigations were launched, including possible sanctions violations. The ship was released after about two weeks, but the master and three others were detained in Finland. The bosun was initially held in pre-trial detention but was released in March.
Prosecutors report the anchor was dragged for 130 kilometers (more than 80 miles), and they assert the ship was attempting to damage up to eight other subsea connections. In addition to the damage to the telecom lines, prosecutors said electricity and gas networks were in danger.
The two individuals have denied committing the offenses. Their lawyers are also questioning Finland’s jurisdiction in the case as the cables were outside Finnish territorial waters. Prosecutors said that would be an issue for the court to decide.
In 2025, Finnish prosecutors failed in their efforts to convict three crewmembers from the shadow tanker Eagle S on similar charges. The court ruled Finland did not have jurisdiction because of the location of the damage, but the prosecutors have appealed that ruling.
Fitburg, a general cargo ship, is 132 meters (433 feet) in length and has been owned and operated by a Turkish company since 2021. The ship is registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and there were 14 crewmembers aboard when the incident happened. Finnish Customs seized the cargo on structural steel, reporting that they believed it was a violation of EU sanctions, but since the ship had not intended to stop in Finland, it was released on a technicality.
Source : The Maritime Executive
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