Master of containership faces court over Balticconnector damage
The captain of the Chinese containership Newnew Polar Bear, whose anchor damaged the Balticconnector gas pipeline in the Gulf of Finland in autumn 2023, has been temporarily detained and brought before a court in Hong Kong, according to reports from Estonian and Finnish media outlets.
In brief
The captain of the Chinese container ship NewNew Polar Bear has been provisionally arrested and appeared before a court in Hong Kong in connection with the damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline, Estonian and Finnish media reported. Prosecutors accuse the captain of violating maritime regulations, not having a sufficient number of anchors and failing to prepare reports for the ship's Chinese owner, and the next hearing is scheduled for July. The 77-kilometre pipeline was damaged on 8 October 2023, and its repair in spring 2024 cost about 35 million euros. The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation said the investigation is still ongoing.
Newnew Polar Bear / fot. Wolfgang Berthel / Vessel Finder
Hong Kong prosecutors allege that the captain violated local maritime regulations, including navigation safety rules, during the vessel's Baltic Sea transit in late 2023. The damage to the subsea gas pipeline is also central to the charges, according to Finnish broadcaster Yle, citing the South China Morning Post.
The captain, a mainland Chinese national, stands accused of breaching navigational safety protocols by failing to ensure the vessel was equipped with a sufficient number of anchors and neglecting to submit regular voyage reports to the ship’s Chinese owner. His first court appearance took place on Thursday, with a follow-up hearing scheduled for July.
The 77-kilometre-long Balticconnector pipeline was damaged on October 8, 2023, by an anchor strike confirmed by Finnish authorities. The anchor—recovered from the seabed near the rupture site—was traced back to the NewNew Polar Bear. Investigators also found drag marks stretching several kilometres along the seafloor. At the time, the containership was en route from Kaliningrad to St. Petersburg as part of China's so-called "Polar Silk Road" initiative. The vessel was registered under the Hong Kong flag during the incident, but now sails under the Panamanian registry.
In 2024, Beijing acknowledged the NewNew Polar Bear's involvement in the incident, stating that the anchor strike occurred "accidentally" amid severe storm conditions.
Following media reports of the captain's arrest, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) confirmed on Friday that the investigation into the pipeline damage remains ongoing. The case is being handled in coordination with Estonian authorities and in cooperation with Chinese and Hong Kong officials.
The Balticconnector pipeline, which links Finland and Estonia, was repaired in spring 2024 at a cost of approximately €35 million. The pipeline initially came online in early 2020 to facilitate gas transmission from storage facilities in Latvia via Estonia to Finnish consumers.
Source: PAP / Gazeta Morska · Compiled by: Kamil Kusier
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