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Two vessels are being investigated in connection with damage sustained by multiple underwater cables and a gas pipeline in the Nordic region.

On October 8, vital connections between Finland and Estonia, including a gas pipeline and a telecoms cable, were compromised. Sweden later reported damage to a third connection between Stockholm and Tallinn around the same timeframe. The disruptions have intensified concerns about energy supply security in the Nordic area, leading to increased NATO Baltic Sea patrols and diplomatic inquiries by Helsinki to both Moscow and Beijing. MarineTraffic data reveals only two ships were near all three damaged sites during the suspected times of the incidents: the NewNew Polar Bear, a Chinese container vessel, and the Sevmorput, a Russian nuclear-powered cargo ship.

The Chinese vessel “NewNew Polar Bear”

The Russian vessel “Sevmorput”

The vessel trajectories align with where the damages occurred, as confirmed by Reuters using the MarineTraffic data. Additionally, navigation restrictions have been put in place around the damage sites by Finnish and Estonian officials.

Precise timings show the NewNew Polar Bear and the Sevmorput were in proximity to the various damaged sites around the times the incidents are believed to have taken place. Notably, the moment the NewNew Polar Bear was over the gas pipeline aligns with a seismic event detected by Norwegian seismologists.

Despite these findings, both NewNew Shipping and Russian authority Atomflot have refrained from commenting on the matter. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also denied allegations of Russian involvement in the damages.