Chinese ship suspected in Baltic cable disruption intercepted

The Danish Navy intercepted the Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 in the Kattegat Strait. The vessel is suspected of damaging telecommunications cables on the Baltic Sea bed.

The Danish military forces confirmed on Wednesday that they intercepted the Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3 located in the Kattegat Strait. Forsvaret, the Danish Ministry of Defence made the announcement.

The Ministry stated on social media that representatives of the Ministry of Defence are present near the ship. However, the post mentions that "no further comments are available for now."

Speculation in the Danish media concerned the possibility of the Danish Navy seizing the ship. Publicly accessible websites tracking maritime traffic indicated the close presence of a Danish patrol vessel next to the Chinese freighter.

However, according to an expert quoted by Berlingske, Yi Peng 3 has already left Danish territorial waters. Professor Kristina Siig, an expert in maritime law from the University of Southern Denmark, emphasised that the suspicions would not justify an arrest.

"Even though Denmark may have justifiable suspicions about the ship's involvement in cable disruptions, we have no right to board it, search it, or interrogate the crew," said the specialist. She also mentioned that if the ship is in international waters, the only option is to request permission from China to board.

Two submarine cables, one connecting Lithuania to Sweden and the other Finland to Germany, were destroyed on Sunday and Monday in the Swedish economic zone. The police in Stockholm have investigated this matter, considering the possibility of sabotage.

The Danish Navy vessel P525, followed by another ship, HDMS Soeloeven, intercepted the Chinese bulk carrier on the evening of 19 November. The Chinese ship was sailing from the Russian port of Ust-Luga.

This is not the first time a Chinese marine vessel has damaged strategic infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. In October 2023, the Balticconnector gas pipeline connecting Estonia and Finland was breached.

An anchor dropped from the Chinese container ship Newnew Polar Bear damaged the pipeline. The vessel was suspected of being responsible for that incident initially; however, no decision was made to detain it, and it escaped from the Baltic Sea without consequences.