Finnish court says it has no jurisdiction in case of tanker accused of damaging undersea cables

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – A Finnish court ruled on Friday that it lacks jurisdiction over a case involving an oil tanker which authorities suspected of damaging multiple undersea cables late last December.

Prosecutors claimed the crew of the Eagle S tanker allowed its heavy anchor to drag across the seabed, severing five cables — including a major electricity link between Finland and Estonia.

Three crew members – including the ship’s captain, Davit Vadatchkor – faced trial at a court in the capital Helsinki beginning in late August.

Prosecutors sought prison sentences of at least 2 1/2 years for aggravated sabotage, aggravated telecommunications interference, and other charges such as vandalism and endangering public safety.

The case centered on whether the crew should have realized the ship’s anchor was being dragged for some 90 kilometers (60 miles).

Defense lawyers, however, consistently argued that Finland lacked jurisdiction.

On Friday, the court sided with the defense, finding that the alleged offenses took place before the tanker entered Finnish territorial waters.

Jurisdiction, the judges ruled, instead belongs to either the country where the ship is flagged or the defendants’ home nations. The Eagle S sails under a Cook Islands flag, while its crew are from Georgia and India.

The captain has maintained that the cable damage was unintentional.

As a result of the ruling, the Finnish state is expected to cover the defendants’ legal costs, estimated at around €195,000 ($229,000).

The court also noted that while the incident posed a significant potential risk — including possible power outages and electricity price hikes — the worst-case scenarios did not occur.

Despite cold weather at the time, Finland’s energy supply remained stable.