On Thursday, Finland's national grid operator, Fingrid, announced that it had filed a request with a Helsinki court to seize the Eagle S oil tanker in an effort to secure compensation for damages resulting from the malfunction of the undersea Estlink 2 electricity interconnector. The cable, which links Finland to Estonia, was damaged on December 25, alongside four telecom lines. The following day, Finnish authorities boarded the vessel, which transports Russian oil, suspecting that its anchor had caused the damage by dragging along the seabed.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Baltic Sea nations have been on heightened alert due to a series of outages affecting power cables, telecom connections, and gas pipelines. NATO announced last week that it would increase its presence in the region.

Fingrid stated that it had requested the Helsinki District Court to formally seize the Eagle S as part of its effort to secure its financial claim. The company also noted that additional investigations at the damage site would provide further insight into the extent of the damages, aiding in the planning and scheduling of repairs. Fingrid expects the cable to be operational again by August 2025.

A lawyer representing Caravella LLC FZ, based in the United Arab Emirates and owner of the ship, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The owner has previously requested that Finnish authorities release the vessel.

Finland's customs service has suggested that the Eagle S is part of a fleet of tankers used to evade sanctions on Russian oil and has formally impounded its cargo, although it remains aboard the ship. Russia has stated that the seizure of the vessel is not a matter for its government.