Damage to Balticconnector Gas Pipeline Also Affects Sweden-Estonia Communication Cable

Swedish authorities have reported damage to the underwater communication cable with Estonia. Sweden's Civil Protection Minister Karl-Oskar Bohlin stated that the cable between Sweden and Estonia has been damaged in the Baltic Sea. According to Bohlin, the cable was damaged in the same area where the Balticconnector gas pipeline was affected, and approximately at the same time.

"At this moment, we cannot say what caused the damage to the cable," the minister said during a press conference cited by Yle. However, he assured that the cable has not broken.

Sweden's Defense Minister Paul Johnson stated that Swedish authorities are treating the situation seriously, as it is linked to critical infrastructure. On October 8, Finland's gas transmission operator Gasgrid Finland and Estonia's gas transmission operator Elering noted a drop in pressure in the Balticconnector gas pipeline. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö indicated that the damage may result from external factors. Finnish police reported finding "external traces" in the vicinity of the leak.

According to Estonian publication Postimees, citing data from the Marine Traffic vessel tracking system, a container ship named Newnew Polar Bear, belonging to China and flying the Hong Kong flag, passed by the gas pipeline on the day of the leak.