A lawyer said to be representing the tanker accused of deliberately dragging its anchor over underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, has accused Finnish authorities of hijacking the vessel and is demanding its release.
According to Reuters, Finnish lawyer Herman Ljungberg has called for the ship to be set free, saying the crew of 20 Indian and Georgia nationals are being denied sleep and having toilet visits and meals supervised.
“The Finns have hijacked a vessel,” Ljungberg was quoted as saying.
The Cook Islands-flagged 74,035-dwt Eagle S (built 2006) left Primorsk on 24 December and tracking data shows it sailing over an underwater electricity and then communication cables at the time when supply disruptions were noticed.
Finnish police and coast guard boarded the ship soon after the breaks were noticed.
They have since sailed the Eagle S deep into Finnish waters while they interview the crew and investigate the vessel, which is missing its port anchor.
Finnish authorities have also published underwater images as evidence of the vessel’s cable being dragged down the side while it was underway.
Anchor damage
Images of seabed surveys have also been released, where they say there are long marks where an anchor has been dragged.
Ljungberg filed documents on behalf of the owner of Eagle S, United Arab Emirates-based Caravella LLC FZ, on Monday to demand the release of the vessel, according to Reuters.
At the same time, Finnish police have said the vessel and crew are being investigated for the offences of aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications.
They have also defended their handling of the crew, saying questioning has been carried out in good cooperation with the crew.
Detective chief inspector Elina Katajamaki said: “The authorities have taken care of the maintenance of both the vessel and the crew during the investigation.”
Finland and Estonia have ramped up their surveillance in the Baltic Sea, particularly the Gulf of Finland where tankers, including sanctioned vessels, carry oil out of Russia.
They have also called on Nato and the European Union to increase military support in the region and are investigating how to gain increased powers to challenge vessels that are sailing in international waters but suspected of carrying sanctioned oil or acting suspiciously.
