Helsinki District Court ruled on October 3 that it does not have jurisdiction to hear the criminal case against the captain and two officers of the tanker Eagle S, part of the Russian shadow fleet, accused of damaging undersea cables in the Baltic Sea last December.
Prosecutors alleged the Cook Islands-flagged vessel dragged its anchor for 90 km across the seabed, severing the Estlink 2 power cable linking Finland and Estonia, along with four data communication cables.
The three crew members – a Georgian captain, a Georgian first officer, and an Indian second officer – were charged with aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with telecommunications. They denied wrongdoing, arguing the anchor dropped unnoticed due to faults in the vessel’s winch system.
Prosecutors claimed gross negligence, citing the poor condition of the winch, and sought prison terms of at least 2.5 years. Cable operators also filed damage claims worth tens of millions of euros.
The court said the alleged offenses occurred before the vessel entered Finnish territorial waters, so Finnish criminal law could not apply. The decision means the court did not examine the charges, which included claims by the prosecution that the crew caused significant economic damage.
The trial cost the Finnish state about €200,000. With the charges dismissed, the state must reimburse the crew’s legal fees, totaling approximately €195,000.
The three crew members are no longer in Finland. Their travel bans, which lasted nearly nine months, were lifted on September 12, when the Helsinki trial concluded.
No charges were filed against the ship’s owner, and the tanker was released in March.
