A Russian fiber optic cable under the Baltic Sea was damaged last month only 28 km (17 miles) from where a gas pipeline linking Finland and Estonia was ruptured a couple of hours later. The details emerged in a statement on Tuesday from Russian state company Rostelecom, which publicly acknowledged the damage to its cable for the first time. Rostelecom called it an "accident" but did not specify the cause.
Russian state company Rostelecom will not seek compensation for damage to a fiber optic cable that was severed in the Baltic Sea last month and will complete the repair at its own expense, a company source told Reuters on Wednesday. The company said on Tuesday that the cable was damaged when a Chinese container ship, the NewNew Polar Bear, passed over it late on Oct. 7. Finnish investigators suspect the same vessel was responsible shortly afterwards for rupturing a gas pipeline to Estonia, the Balticconnector, by dragging its anchor across the sea bed.
Rostelecom: Finnish police believe damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline was caused by a Chinese container ship dragging its anchor along the seabed but have not concluded whether this was an accident or a deliberate act.