Two undersea internet cables connecting Finland and Sweden to Central Europe were cut last week, with authorities suspecting sabotage. According to the Wall Street Journal, investigators suspect that the Yi Peng 3, a Chinese bulk carrier traveling to Egypt from Russia and loaded with fertilizer, deliberately dropped its anchor in Swedish waters to sever the BCS East-West Interlink cable connecting it to Lithuania and then did it again the following day to damage the C-Lion1 cable between Finland and Germany. In total, they suspect the ship dragged its anchor for over 100 miles.
“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 of the investigators handling the probe. What’s more concerning is that the crew allegedly turned off the ship’s transponder during this time, making it impossible for the Automatic Identification System to track its movement. After the ship hit the second undersea cable, the investigators said that it zigzagged, raised its anchor, and continued underway.
