After a leak led to the shutdown of the Balticconnector pipeline on Oct 8, Finnish authorities have been investigating the harm which they are saying was brought on by “exterior” exercise.
“The actions of the vessel Newnew Polar Bear flying the flag of Hong Kong coincide with the time and place of the fuel pipeline harm,” the Nationwide Bureau of Investigation mentioned in an announcement.
“We’ll cooperate with Chinese language authorities with a purpose to set up the position of the mentioned vessel,” Detective Superintendent Risto Lohi was quoted as saying.
Police additionally confirmed the harm was brought on by “an exterior mechanical drive” and that they’d discovered “a heavy object” close to the broken pipeline.
“A not too long ago fashioned big clump of soil containing most likely a particularly heavy object has been discovered within the seabed,” Lohi mentioned.
The police will try to carry the item from the seabed to research whether or not it’s linked to the broken pipeline.
It should take a minimum of 5 months to restore the pipeline, its operator mentioned final week, leaving Finland completely dependent upon liquefied pure fuel imports for the winter.
Pure fuel accounts for round 5 per cent of Finland’s vitality consumption, primarily utilized in trade and mixed warmth and energy manufacturing.
Final yr, underwater explosions resulted within the rupture of three pipelines within the Baltic Sea liable for the transportation of pure fuel from Russia to Western Europe.
