Swedish Minister Reports China Denied Full Access to Suspected Baltic Sea Cable Sabotage Vessel

December 23, 2024 TruthUSA

Beijing stated that it provided information to the investigation and that the shipowner has decided to resume its voyage after a comprehensive assessment.

Sweden’s foreign minister mentioned that China denied its prosecutor full access to a vessel suspected of Baltic Sea cable sabotage.

On Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, two undersea fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged within 24 hours, coinciding with the movements of a Chinese 75,200-dwt (deadweight ton) bulk carrier called the Yi Peng 3.

Despite criticism from Sweden, China reported that it refused access to its main investigator on board for investigation.

‘Remarkable’

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said, “It is remarkable that the ship leaves without the prosecutor being given the opportunity to inspect the vessel and question the crew within the framework of a Swedish criminal investigation,” as reported on Dec. 22 by the Financial Times.

In response to Stenergard’s comments, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated during a news briefing on Dec. 23 that China provided information and documents for the joint investigation.

“The Yi Peng 3 has been suspended for a long period of time to cooperate with the investigation, and the shipowner company has decided to resume its voyage after a comprehensive assessment and consultation with the parties concerned to protect the crew’s physical and mental health,” Mao said.

Contacted for comment, Stenergard’s press team and Sweden’s prosecutor’s office did not respond by publication time.

‘Observers Only’

The Yi Peng 3, which had been stationary for over a month in international waters inside Denmark’s exclusive economic zone, sailed away from its mooring on Dec. 21, heading towards Egypt.

On Dec. 19, China permitted representatives from Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark along with Chinese investigators to board the Yi Peng 3 with limited access.

As reported on Dec. 20, Swedish police confirmed that they were observers only during investigations on board the vessel conducted by Chinese authorities. These actions were not part of the Swedish-led preliminary investigation, the police stated.

“The preliminary investigation into sabotage in connection with two cable breaks in the Baltic Sea is ongoing,” the police added.

“It has started moving and has said it is going to Port Said in Egypt,” a Swedish coast guard spokesperson told Reuters. “We are tracking the ship and are in close contact with other concerned authorities.”

Jonas Backstrand, chair of Sweden’s accident investigation authority, expressed satisfaction with the visit on Dec. 20.

He stated, “We are content with the visit onboard, which was relatively open and transparent and we had the possibility to see what we wanted to see and to talk to the crew members that we wanted to talk with.”

Precedent

In a social media post on Dec. 22, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys highlighted that the Chinese regime’s lack of cooperation in the Baltic Sea incident investigations should not set a precedent in Europe or elsewhere.

He added, “If the ‘What’s mine is mine’ mindset becomes a global norm, new navigation rules may be necessary in #EU waters to address vulnerabilities.”

“Building security starts with addressing weaknesses.”

Gray Zone

The Telia Lietuva’s 135-mile cable between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland went offline on Nov. 17 at 8 a.m. GMT, followed by the failure of the 745-mile Cinia C-Lion1 cable connecting Finland and Germany on Nov. 18 at 2 a.m. GMT.

The C-Lion1 cable runs parallel to the Nord Stream pipelines.

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, with multibillion-dollar value for gas transport under the Baltic Sea, were ruptured by explosions in the Swedish and Danish economic zones in September 2022, releasing significant methane into the air seven months after the Russia–Ukraine conflict began.

Additionally, the incidents in the Baltic Sea occurred a little over a year after the Hong Kong-registered Newnew Polar Bear container ship was suspected of damaging a gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland, as well as two undersea cables connecting Estonia, Finland, and Sweden.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Source link