Pipeline

Balticconnector gas pipeline — anchor-drag rupture

8 October 2023

Gulf of Finland, Finland–Estonia

What happened

The Balticconnector subsea gas pipeline ruptured in Finland's exclusive economic zone and gas flow between Finland and Estonia was stopped after operators detected a sudden pressure drop. Finland's National Bureau of Investigation established that an anchor from the Hong Kong-flagged container ship Newnew Polar Bear caused the seabed drag trail and pipeline damage. The investigation did not establish in the cited update that the anchor was deliberately used to damage the pipeline, so this record does not attribute sabotage.

Evidence
Documented
Confidence
High
Infrastructure
Pipeline
Latitude
59.8300°
Longitude
24.2000°

Attribution

Responsibility has not been established in the cited reporting.

Sources

  1. Cooperation in Balticconnector case to continueFinnish Government; National Bureau of Investigation · Incident reporting