According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, China acknowledges the accident.
Newnew Polar Bear in stock photo. Global ports press release
China has admitted that the Hong Kong-registered Newnew Polar Bear vessel caused the gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia to break last fall, reports the South China Morning Post. According to the newspaper, the matter came out of an internal investigation by the Chinese authorities, the results of which were distributed to Finland and Estonia. According to the Estonian public radio ERR, the collision was an accident and it was caused as a result of a strong storm.
However, according to the spokesperson of the Estonian Prosecutor’s Office, the document in question has not been sent to their office and it “cannot be used as evidence in Estonian criminal investigations”. According to ERR, the report in question is currently circulating “in various ministries”.
The investigation is still ongoing
Finland’s Central Criminal Police refused to tell ERR whether it had received the report from the Chinese authorities. The joint Finnish and Estonian criminal investigation into the case is still ongoing. The focus of the research is NewNew Polar Bear, which both countries have urged China to urgently solve the related information requests.
Communications director of the Finnish Central Criminal Police Anna Zareff told ERR that the investigation is still ongoing, and the final cause of the accident will only be known when all the necessary investigation measures have been completed.
According to Zareff, the investigation has required cooperation with the Chinese authorities. KRP has, among other things, “submitted a request for legal aid to the competent Chinese authorities”.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to South China Morning Post’s inquiries.
The Chinese NewNew Polar Bear suspectedly damaged the Balticconnector gas pipeline on October 8, 2023. At that time, the previously unknown cargo ship was returning from its maiden voyage from the “Ice Silk Road” between China and Russia, i.e. the Northeast Passage.
The ship traveled the same route as the Russian nuclear-powered, ice-breaking cargo ship Sevmorput, which has delivered military equipment to Russian bases in the Arctic Ocean. A few days later, the ships left St. Petersburg along the Norwegian coast back towards the Arctic Ocean. Iltalehti reports about it.
The news is updated
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