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Underwater Drone Discovers Drag Marks Along Chinese Ship’s Route Near Damaged Baltic Cables


Last month, two underwater telecommunications cables were damaged as the Chinese cargo vessel Yi Peng 3 transited the Baltic Sea.

Underwater drone operators have discovered drag marks in the Baltic seabed that align with the route of the Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3 when two undersea telecommunications cables were damaged recently.

Blueye Robotics, in partnership with Denmark’s TV2 and Sweden’s TV4 news stations, deployed underwater drones in the Kattegat Strait to look for signs of sabotage following the damage to cables connecting Finland to Germany and Sweden to Lithuania.

The focus of the search was on the path of the Yi Peng 3, the Chinese cargo vessel that was present when the cables were damaged.

In a press statement on Dec. 17, Blueye Robotics announced that their search revealed “unusual seabed activity where the vessel Yi Peng 3 crossed key power and telecom cables in Kattegat.”

Danish defense official Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen, as reported by TV2, identified the drag marks along the course of the Chinese ship as a possible anchor imprint.

Swedish and Danish coast guard and naval forces closed in on the Chinese vessel after the underwater cables were damaged on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, both incidents occurring within Sweden’s exclusive economic zone.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry denied any knowledge of the actions of the Yi Peng 3 and called for respecting the ship’s right to navigate through the waterway.

Since then, the ship has remained anchored as authorities from surrounding countries seek access to conduct investigations.

Investigators from Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark were allowed to board the Yi Peng 3 on Dec. 19.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen facilitated the visit aboard the cargo ship to resolve the standoff that had halted the vessel’s transit.

Swedish police, in a statement, mentioned that they were present as observers during the Chinese-led investigations aboard the ship.

The Swedish authorities are continuing their separate investigation into the sabotage of the deep-sea cables while awaiting new information from the international visit and the Chinese-led investigation aboard the Yi Peng 3.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius previously dismissed claims that the cable damage was accidental, suggesting it was a deliberate act of sabotage.

Reuters contributed to this report.



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