The damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline earlier this month was likely caused by an anchor pulled by a ship on the seabed, but it remains to be determined whether it was an accident or a deliberate act, Finnish police investigating the incident said on Tuesday. This was reported by Agerpres with reference to Reuters.

Finnish police announced last Friday that the Hong Kong-flagged Chinese vessel NewNew Polar Bear was at the center of an investigation into the Balticconnector gas pipeline, which links Finland to Estonia and was damaged in early October.

The failure was caused by an “external mechanical force” and a “heavy object” was spotted at the bottom of the water near the gas pipeline, Finnish police said at the time.

The object was found in the meantime, and it turned out to be the tip of the anchor. Traces of an anchor pulled to the seabed were also seen.

The Chinese vessel at the center of the investigation is indeed missing an anchor, but Finnish researchers have not yet been able to contact the ship to determine whether the piece pulled from the seabed came from the missing anchor.

There was also a Russian-flagged vessel in the area of ​​the incident, but now Finnish investigators say that this is no longer among the main hypotheses being considered.

“The next questions to be answered are whether it was an intentional act, negligence, a navigational error,” the head of the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, Robin Lardot, told the press.

The Balticconnector gas pipeline was shut down on October 8 after a drop in pressure indicated a gas leak from the 77-kilometer long pipeline. Finnish authorities have since assessed that the damage was caused by external interference and alerted NATO. In response, Russia declared that it was not involved in this incident.

The gas pipeline between the Finnish city of Inkoo and the Estonian city of Paldiski crosses the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, to the north of which Finland is located, and to the south Estonia, and continues east to the coast of the Russian Federation. the city of Saint Petersburg.

According to the Finnish company that manages the Balticconnector, the repairs could take at least five months. Along with the gas pipeline, the underwater telecommunication cable was also damaged. (Agerpress.)