Finnish, Swedish and German authorities have launched
investigations into the rupture earlier this week of two
undersea cables — one between Finland and Germany, the other
between Lithuania and Sweden. All are member countries of the
NATO alliance.
News reports said a Chinese-flagged vessel, the Yi Peng 3, had
been in the area at the time of the ruptures.
VesselFinder.com, which tracks marine ship movements, located
the Danish patrol boat P525 at about one nautical mile away from
the Chinese-flagged ship between Denmark and Sweden on Thursday
morning Europe time.
“The Danish Defence can confirm that we are present in the area
near the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3,” said Henrik Hall Mortensen, a
Danish military spokesman, in an email.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a
regular news briefing that Chinese authorities had no
information about the ship but said China was ready to “maintain
communication” with relevant parties.
He called for the Chinese ship’s rights to normal navigation to
be protected.
The ruptures come more than a year after Sweden announced a
“purposeful” rupture of an undersea cable to Estonia through the
Black Sea, which was also not explained.
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