A Chinese ship is believed to have cut two critical internet cables in the Baltic Sea in an act of sabotage that may have been orchestrated by Russia.
Investigators believe the Yi Peng 3, a Chinese-registered carrier, deliberately severed the two cables last week by dragging its anchor near the Baltic Sea for more than 100 miles.
The investigation is now focused on whether the captain of the 225-meter-long carrier was ordered to carry out the suspected sabotage by Moscow.
A senior European researcher told the Wall Street Journal: “It is highly unlikely that the captain would not have noticed that his ship had sunk and dragged its anchor, continuing to run for hours and cutting the rope along the way.”
The incident has raised concerns among Western countries that Russia is waging what the White House has described as “hybrid warfare”, a charge the Kremlin denies.
The last cable damage in the Baltic Sea occurred in Swedish waters between Nov 17 and 18, according to officials.
The ship was traveling from Ust-Luga, Russia, to Port Said, Egypt, passing through the Baltic Sea, when the incident occurred.
Yi Peng 3 docked under surveillance by a Danish naval vessel in the Kattegat Strait – MIKKEL BERG PEDERSEN/SHUTTERSTOCK
Researchers believe that the handle of the main carrier was dropped on purpose, cutting the 730-mile fiber optic cable C-Shumba1 – the only direct link between Europe and Finland – around 9pm local time on Nov 17.
The second cable was cut between Germany and Finland at 3am the next day after the carrier had traveled 111 kilometres, investigators estimate.
Swedish authorities have launched an investigation into the alleged sabotage of Danish naval vessels before following the Yi Peng 3, forcing it to stop in the Kattegat Strait.
Since then, the Yi Peng 3 has been surrounded by Nato warships in international waters for a week.
Under international maritime law, Nato ships cannot force ships to go to one of their ports, so Swedish and German authorities are understood to be negotiating with the ship’s owner.
They hope to gain access to the ship and question its crew about the suspected sabotage.
Western officials do not believe Beijing was responsible for the incident but suspect Russian intelligence agencies orchestrated the incident, which the Kremlin denies.
A Kremlin spokesman said: “These are baseless accusations, they have no evidence.”
One of the cables cut was the 730-mile fiber optic cable C-Shumba1 – imaginima/iStockphoto.
Tensions have increased around the Baltic Sea since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Months after the invasion a series of underwater explosions blew up the Nord Stream pipeline that carries Russian gas to Europe.
Western officials initially believed that Russia was responsible for the blasts, but suspicions have since been raised that Ukraine may have been involved. It is not yet known who was behind the alleged vandals.
In October last year, an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down after it was damaged by the New Polar Bear, a Chinese cargo ship.
Bruno Kahl, the head of foreign intelligence in Germany, said the increase in these incidents could prompt NATO to invoke the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defense clause.
He said: “Russia’s military expansion means military confrontation with NATO which is another possible option for the Kremlin.”
In response to the recent incident, Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, called for “police action” to be carried out in the Baltic Sea.
Alongside his colleagues from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway and Sweden, Mr. Tusk told a press conference: “We share an assessment of the security situation, including concerns about important infrastructure and resources of the Baltic Sea.”
Mr Tusk said the police force was essential to “fight the threat” in the region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and China has denied having anything to do with this matter.
The Telegraph has contacted the owner of the vessel for comment.
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