China Inadvertently Damaged Gas Pipeline between Estonia and Finland in 2023 - Media

Beijing has admitted that a Chinese ship damaged the Balticconnector gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea between Estonia and Finland last October, but says it was an accident.

This was reported by South China Morning Post.

The Chinese report says that an internal investigation has been carried out and that the results have been communicated to European governments. It is noted that the accident occurred as a result of a severe storm.

Estonia and Finland, between which the gas pipeline runs, are still conducting a joint investigation into the NewNew Polar Bear container ship, which was flying the Hong Kong flag at the time of the incident. Its registered owner is the Chinese mainland company NewNew Shipping Line.

"The investigation is still ongoing, and final conclusions about what was behind these incidents (technical failure, negligence, poor seafarers' training, deliberate actions) can only be made after all the necessary investigative actions are completed, which will take some time," the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.

Estonia and Finland said that when the accident occurred, the vessel was dragging its anchor along the seabed, cutting a gas cable and damaging two telecommunications cables between the two countries. Statements by Finnish investigators at the time described a "1.5 to 4 metre wide wake" leading to the "site of the gas pipeline damage".

The report also noted that after the anchor was lifted, it left "marks indicating contact with the pipeline".

The damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline occurred in the first decade of October 2023. The NewNew Polar Bear was travelling from Kaliningrad to St Petersburg at the time. The incident occurred in Finland's exclusive economic zone.

Repair work on the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland was completed on 22 April, and gas began flowing through the pipeline.