Drag Marks and a Missing Anchor: Did the ‘Eagle S’ Tanker Disrupt Cables in Baltic Sea?

Its anchor is missing, and drag marks have been found on the ocean floor where undersea cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea – developments that have kept the focus on the Eagle S oil tanker in the wake of a sabotage investigation in Finland.

Finnish authorities boarded the Eagle S on December 26 and commandeered the vessel on suspicion that it disrupted the Estlink 2 undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia, and damaged four Internet lines. Investigators suggested that the ship may have caused the damage by dragging its anchor along the seabed.

The vessel is suspected of secretly operating as part of a Russian “shadow fleet,” and of using the anchor to damage critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, regional authorities said.

Estonia, meanwhile, has assigned naval patrols to protect the Estlink 1 undersea cable. The deployment was announced on Dec. 27 by Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur and Commander of the Defence Forces Major General Andrus Merilo.

Estonian patrol vessel Raju. Photo, Estonian Ministry of Defense.

“The state must send a clear message that attacks on critical infrastructure will be met with a robust response,” Pevkur said in a statement. “While the investigation into the damage to Estlink 2 continues, our immediate priority is to defend the connections between Estonia and Finland, even with military means.” 

The Eagle S is believed to belong to a “shadow fleet” of vessels being used to bypass Western sanctions against Russia.

Former Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas said on December 30 that “sabotage in Europe has increased” since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The incidents represent “a major threat to our environment and security,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said over the weekend.

“Almost every month, ships are damaging major undersea cables in the Baltic Sea,” Baerbock said in a statement to the Funke media group. “Crews are leaving anchors in the water, dragging them for kilometers along the seafloor for no apparent reason, and then losing them when pulling them up.”

The incidents are alarming, she noted.

“It’s more than difficult to still believe in coincidences,” she said. “This is an urgent wake-up call for all of us.”

Sweden, Germany and Lithuania have launched criminal investigations in which a Chinese ship allegedly damaged telecommunications infrastructure in November.

The Eagle S currently is listed as at anchor in the Gulf of Finland.