Overview
- A district court in Helsinki dismissed charges against the captain and two officers of the Cook Islands–flagged Eagle S, finding Finnish criminal law inapplicable to the incident.
- Prosecutors had alleged the crew deliberately dragged an anchor for about 90 kilometers in December 2024, damaging the EstLink 2 power line and four telecom cables and causing at least €60 million in repairs.
- Judges said the event occurred in Finland’s exclusive economic zone and should be treated as a navigational incident under UNCLOS, placing criminal jurisdiction with the flag state or the sailors’ home states.
- The defendants pleaded not guilty and cited a technical anchor failure; the court indicated the anchor loss likely stemmed from a mechanical issue, and the decision can be appealed.
- In a related case, France allowed the tanker Boracay to continue sailing after briefly detaining its captain and first officer, with the captain due in Brest on February 23, 2026 for allegedly ignoring official orders, as authorities scrutinize suspected ‘shadow fleet’ operations and note any drone link remains unconfirmed.