Finland and Estonia have remained silent about reports of a Chinese ship’s role in the damage to the Balticconnector pipeline in the Baltic Sea last autumn.
The investigation into the case has not yet been completed, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and his Estonian counterpart Kristen Michal said in Helsinki on Wednesday.
They said no conclusions could be drawn at this time.
Earlier, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reported that Chinese authorities had concluded that a Chinese cargo ship was responsible for the pipeline leak. The report said it was an accident that occurred during a heavy storm.
The Baltic Connector runs between Finland and Estonia in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea.
On October 8, 2023, the operators noticed a sudden drop in pressure in the gas pipeline.
The gas supply was then interrupted and the pipeline has been out of service ever since. The cause of the incident has not yet been clarified.
During their investigation, the researchers found an anchor on the seabed and suspected that it belonged to the cargo ship NewNew Polar Bear and had likely caused the damage.
The container ship flies the Hong Kong flag and is owned by a Chinese shipping company.
