China admits Hong Kong-flagged ship damaged Balticconnector gas pipeline by accident

Chinese container ship Newnew Polar Bear. Photo: Mihkel Maripuu

Beijing has acknowledged that the Hong Kong-registered vessel New New Polar Bear caused the rupture of the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland in October of last year.

The South China Morning Post reports that Chinese authorities conducted an internal investigation and shared the findings with European governments. The Chinese-language report states that the incident occurred due to a severe storm.

On Oct. 8 last year, damage to the Balticconnector undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was registered and also an underwater communication cable had been damaged. The damage to the gas pipeline was on the Finnish side, whereas the damage to the communication cable was in Estonia's economic zone.

According to the Finnish Central Criminal Police and the Finnish Border Guard, the damage to the Balticconnector may have been caused by the ship's anchor, the drag path of which on the sea floor has been identified by the investigation. The Finns also found a ship anchor on the seabed which may have ruptured the pipeline.