(AFP) — Sweden’s coast guard said Saturday it had joined Denmark in monitoring a Chinese ship anchored off their coasts, after two undersea cables were severed in a suspected sabotage case.
Sections of the two telecom cables were cut on November 17 and 18 in Swedish territorial waters of the Baltic Sea.
Swedish and Finnish police have opened investigations and European officials have said they suspect “sabotage” linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin has rejected the comments as “absurd” and “laughable”.
The Yi Peng 3 sailed over the cables around the time they were severed, according to ship tracking sites, though there is nothing to indicate that it was involved in the incidents.
The ship has remained anchored in the narrow Kattegat strait between Sweden and Denmark since Tuesday.
China’s foreign ministry has denied any responsibility in the matter.
“China is currently working with relevant parties including Denmark to maintain smooth communication through diplomatic channels,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday.
Denmark’s navy said Wednesday it was shadowing the vessel, which is in international waters, limiting Danish authorities’ possibility to intervene.
Sweden joined it on Saturday.
“We can confirm we are at the scene … with one of our biggest vessels, KBV001 Poseidon,” Swedish coast guard communications officer Linnea Kappel told AFP.
Kappel did not discuss the coast guard’s mission, but said it was “assisting the (Swedish) police and prosecutor”.
If the Yi Peng 3 were to set sail “we will follow it”, she added.
Early on November 17, the Arelion cable running from the Swedish island of Gotland to Lithuania was damaged.
The next day, the C-Lion 1 submarine cable connecting Helsinki and the German port of Rostock was cut south of Sweden’s Oland island, around 700 kilometres (435 miles) from Helsinki.
The Swedish navy told AFP on Friday that it had examined one of the severed cables with a remote-controlled underwater camera and was inspecting the second, but would not disclose its findings.
A Finnish coast guard vessel was to inspect the German-Finnish cable this weekend, Finnish police said.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Tuesday the severed cables were likely the result of “sabotage”.
“Nobody believes that these cables were accidentally severed,” he said.
Tensions have mounted around the Baltic Sea since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In September 2022, a series of underwater blasts ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines that carried Russian gas to Europe, the cause of which has yet to be determined.
In October 2023, an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down after it was damaged by the anchor of a Chinese cargo ship.