Baltic Sea
Submarine cable between Finland and Germany defective
The operator of a communication cable between Helsinki and Rostock reports a defect. The data connections are now initially cut off. What’s behind it? Helsinki and Berlin are worried.
A defect has been discovered in an undersea data cable in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Germany. The Finnish state-owned company Cinia said that the communication connections over the Cinia C-Lion1 cable were interrupted. The cause of the error is still unclear and investigations are ongoing. The Finnish Foreign Ministry and the Foreign Office in Berlin are “deeply concerned.”
Cinia assumes that the cable broke at the bottom of the Baltic Sea and was severed by external influences, such as an anchor or a bottom trawl. A company press conference said the incident occurred in Swedish waters outside the busiest shipping areas. There is currently no information about intentional sabotage.
The only undersea data cable directly from Finland to Central Europe
C-Lion1 runs more than 1,170 kilometers from the Finnish capital Helsinki to Rostock in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It went into operation in spring 2016 and is the only undersea data cable that runs directly from Finland to Central Europe.
A joint statement from the Foreign Office and the Finnish Foreign Ministry said “the fact that such an incident immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage speaks volumes about the volatility of our times.” A thorough investigation is underway.
“Our European security is threatened not only by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, but also by the hybrid warfare of malicious actors,” the statement from both ministries continued. “Protecting our shared critical infrastructure is critical to our security and the resilience of our societies.”
Duration of repair open
How long it will take to fix the problem is still unclear. According to Finnish broadcaster Yle, repairs to submarine cables typically take between 5 and 15 days. According to Cinia, the cable must be lifted out of the sea onto a repair ship that will come to the affected area from Calais, France.
Almost a year ago, the Baltic Sea pipeline Balticconnector between the new NATO member Finland and the other NATO state Estonia was damaged – according to Finnish investigators, most likely by the anchor of a Chinese container ship called “Newnew Polar Bear”. It is still unclear whether the incident was an accident or deliberate sabotage. A data cable between the two EU countries was also damaged in the process.
dpa
Source: Stern
