Anchor of Chinese container vessel caused damage to Balticconnector gas pipeline, Finnish police say

Finnish investigators say they believe an anchor of a Chinese container ship was dislodged and caused the damage to the undersea Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia on the Baltic Sea earlier this month. The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation said on Tuesday that it has evidence and data pointing to the Hong Kong-flagged cargo vessel Newnew Polar Bear as the culprit in damaging the pipeline running across the Gulf of Finland. Whether the pipeline damage was intentional, unintentional or caused by “bad seafaring” is subject of the next phase in the probe, officials said. Beijing has called for an objective investigation. Repair work is expected to take at least until the end of April 2024.