Chinese-Flagged Ship Suspected of Cutting Cables Remains Halted Weeks Later

When two fiber-optic cables were severed under the Baltic Sea last month, European officials acted fast, with some declaring sabotage. They sent coast guard vessels to halt a Chinese-flagged commercial ship that their governments suspected of involvement.

That was 23 days ago.

Today, the ship, the Yi Peng 3, remains anchored in the Baltic Sea, watched over by a rotating host of coast guard vessels while Sweden, Finland and Lithuania investigate. But if officials have gained any greater insight into what happened to the cables — or whether the ship was involved — they are not saying.

Asked for an update, Sweden’s foreign ministry referred to a statement from last month about the need to “await the findings of this investigation.” A spokesperson for Sweden’s Prosecution Authority reiterated that the matter was being jointly investigated, but said no further details were available.

China’s foreign ministry said in a statement to The Times that it was “maintaining close communication” with the European countries involved, but had nothing more to add.

The mystery surrounding the Yi Peng 3 comes at a time of heightened anxiety in Europe after a number of apparent acts of sabotage around the continent, including arson, vandalism and physical assaults.

European officials have attributed many of these, including a plot detailed last month to place incendiary devices on planes, to Russia. Last week, Estonian officials described a scheme by Russia’s military intelligence service to pay locals to commit acts of vandalism, including breaking the windows of cars belonging to the country’s interior minister and an editor of a local news outlet.