Danish Navy Intercepts Chinese Ship Linked to European Cable Sabotage, Says Sweden’s Defense Ministry

Update 11/20/2024 03:38 PT: The Danish Navy has intercepted and is currently holding the Chinese Bulk Carrier Yi Peng 3 in the Danish Straits, close to the Great Belt’s exit. This incident was reported on the night of November 18 by sources including Eurasia Daily and Defence24, although official confirmation has yet to be provided. According to insiders quoted by the Financial Times, Swedish officials are scrutinizing the Chinese ship with high interest.

Original Article:

Denmark has deployed two naval vessels, the HDMS Hvidbjoernen, a frigate designed for ocean patrol, and the DNK Navy Patrol P525, a smaller patrol vessel, to track the Chinese Bulk Carrier Yi Peng 3. The suspicion among authorities is that this ship has a connection to the recent severance of two critical underwater internet cables linking Finland and Sweden with Central Europe, as per MSN reports.

The initial incident involved an underwater cable from Sweden to Lithuania, which was damaged on Sunday, Nov. 17; the next day, a similar fate befell the Finland-Germany underwater cable. By Tuesday, the Swedish Ministry of Civil Defense confirmed they had tracked the Yi Peng 3 near the locations of these suspected acts of sabotage.

Publicly accessible records reveal that the bulk carrier set sail from Ust-Luga Anchorage, roughly 50 miles east of St. Petersburg, Russia, on Nov. 15, heading for Port Said, Egypt. There is currently no available information regarding the ship’s crew or the nature of its cargo.

At this moment, Marinetraffic.com reports that the Yi Peng 3 is located in the Kattegatt, bordered by Denmark to the west and Sweden to the east. The smaller Danish patrol vessel is positioned directly next to it, while the Hvidbjoernen is about 15 to 20 miles southwest, although this information hasn’t been updated for over seven hours.

Swedish authorities have already sent teams to investigate the severed cables and assess the extent of the damage. The Danish naval ships’ presence likely forms part of a collaborative effort to uncover the motives and methods behind the cable cuts, with suspicions strongly pointing towards sabotage.

This incident follows recent NATO disclosures that Russia had been mapping underwater fiber-optic cables as a strategy to disrupt communication systems. Though the ship involved is registered under China—a nation not formally allied with but generally amicable towards Russia—there remains significant concern. Last year, another Chinese freighter was accused of intentionally dragging its anchor over extensive distances, damaging a gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea that links Finland and Estonia.

The situation concerning the suspected sabotage of underwater cables in the Baltic Sea is unfolding, and it is crucial to monitor developments closely to prevent any escalation into broader conflict. These cables are vital not only for civilian internet connectivity but also for secure military and governmental communications, particularly for Finland and Lithuania due to their strategic geographic positions near Russia and Belarus respectively.