EE-S1

EE-S1
Owners:
Arelion
Landing points
Total length240 km
TopologySingle path with 6 bidirectional lines
Currently lit capacityunknown
TechnologyFibre Optic DWDM
Date of first useJune of 1995 (1995)

EE-S1 is a submarine communications cable between Sweden and Estonia. The cable is 240 km in length and it has three landing points – Kärdla (Estonia), Tallinn (Estonia) and Stavsnäs (Sweden). It became operational in June 1995.[1][2] EE-S1 is owned by the Swedish pension fund AP-fonderna [sv] through its ownership in Arelion. Arelion was previously called Telia Carrier and was part of Telia Group.[3]

Cable damage

On the afternoon of 7 October 2023,[3] the cable was damaged.[4][5] Four of the total six fiberoptic cable pairs were totally destroyed and the remaining two were functional.[3] The location of the damaged cables is 70–80 meters below the sea surface according to the Swedish Navy.[3]

On 17 October 2023, the damage was made public when the Swedish government reported the incident. Just a few hours later,[3] the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland was ruptured. Another submarine communications cable between Finland and Estonia was damaged at approximately the same time.[6][7][8] Politician Antti Kaikkonen was quoted saying "There are a bit too many coincidental coincidences for it to be coincidental".[9]

In Estonia, investigation is carried out by the Estonian Internal Security Service (KAPO), the Prosecutor's Office and Keskkriminaalpolitsei [ee], and by the National Bureau of Investigation (Keskusrikospoliisi) in Finland.[8][3] Swedish submarine rescue ship HSwMS Belos (A214) was assisting in the investigation[4] which revealed that the damage was clearly man-made.[10]

Russian cargo ship Sevmorput and Chinese cargo ship Newnew Polar Bear were suspected of involvement in the incident. Both ships travelled near EE-S1 at precisely the time the damage occurred. Sevmorput's owner Rosatom denied involvement.[3]

The two ships suspected of causing the damage, left to right: Sevmorput, Newnew Polar Bear

The same two ships also travelled near the Balticconnector precisely at the time of damage, when Norwegian seismic institute Norsar detected seismic waves.[5] The same two ships also travelled near the other damaged portion of EE-S1 between Helsinki and Tallinn.[5]

After the incidents, both ships travelled in pair to Northern Norway, an area dense with undersea cables and gas pipelines. Norwegian Armed Forces reprioritised part of its activities to maritime surveillance.[11] The seas in Northern Norway are heavily patrolled, but the Norwegian Armed Forces declined to provide any comments to the media.[12]

According to Rostelecom, during this incident, Russian optical cable, connecting Kaliningrad and St Petersburg, was also damaged.[13]

Conclusions

HSwMS Belos (A214) which assisted in the investigation

Investigation concluded that the cable was damaged by external force, with clear marks visible on the seafloor next to the cable.[14][15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Submarine Cable Map". Submarine Cable Map. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  2. ^ Souisa, Hubert (2023-10-22). "Sweden-Estonia (EE-S 1) Submarine Cable System Map". Fiber Atlantic. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Nyheter, SVT (2023-10-18). "Finländsk polis pekar ut "intressant" ryskt fartyg – färdades över förstörd svensk kabel" [Finnish police point out "interesting" Russian ship - traveled over destroyed Swedish cable]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  4. ^ a b Nyheter, SVT (2023-10-21). "Svenska marinen på plats vid förstörda undervattenskabeln" [The Swedish Navy on site at the destroyed underwater cable]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  5. ^ a b c Munukka, Jouni; Bonnor, Maria; Juutilainen, Ville; Eklund, Marko (2023-10-20). "Video näyttää, kuinka kaasuputkirikosta epäilty alus ylittää Ruotsi–Viro-datakaapelin: vaurio tapahtui samoihin aikoihin" [The video shows how a vessel suspected of gas pipeline crime crosses the Sweden-Estonia data cable: the damage occurred at the same time]. Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  6. ^ Kauppinen, Ina (2023-10-17). "Viron ja Ruotsin välinen tietoliikennekaapeli on vaurioitunut" [The communication cable between Estonia and Sweden has been damaged]. Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  7. ^ The Maritime Executive (2023-10-17). "Swedish Telecom Cable Was Damaged at the Same Time as Baltic Pipeline". The Maritime Executive. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  8. ^ a b "Sabotage investigated as one possible Estonia-Sweden cable breakage cause". ERR. 2023-10-19. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  9. ^ Laisi, Erno (2023-10-17). "Antti Kaikkonen Ruotsin ja Viron välisen kaapelin vauriosta: "Liikaa samanlaisia sattumia"" [Antti Kaikkonen on the damage to the cable between Sweden and Estonia: "Too many similar incidents"]. Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  10. ^ "Prosecutor: Evidence suggests communication cable damage is man made". ERR. 2023-10-19. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  11. ^ Nilsen, Thomas (2023-10-18). "Russian, Chinese ships spotlighted by Finnish police after pipeline damage, are now pairing up outside northern Norway". The Independent Barents Observer. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  12. ^ Vanhala, Akseli (2023-10-18). "KRP nimesi kaksi alusta, jotka olivat Balticconnectorin lähistöllä yön tunteina – täällä ne liikkuvat nyt" [KRP named two vessels that were in the vicinity of the Balticconnector during the night hours - here they are moving]. Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  13. ^ "Russian firm says Baltic telecoms cable was severed as Chinese ship passed over". Reuters. 2023-11-07. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  14. ^ Nyheter, SVT (2023-10-24). "Försvarsmakten: Vi ser bottenspår intill trasiga kabeln" [The Armed Forces: We see seabed tracks next to the broken cable]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  15. ^ Nyheter, SVT (2023-10-23). "Försvarsmaktens utredning visar – kabeln skadades av yttre påverkan" [The Swedish Armed Forces' investigation shows – the cable was damaged by external influences]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 2023-12-12.