The navies of Britain, Finland and Estonia were practising subsea infrastructure protection in the Baltic Sea region on Monday together with the Finnish Border Guard, Finland's Defence Forces said in a statement.In early October a gas pipeline linking Estonia and Finland was damaged along with three telecommunications cables in the area, which is known for its dense seabed infrastructure.
A Russian fiber optic cable under the Baltic Sea was completely severed last month when a Chinese container ship passed over it, state company Rostelecom said on Tuesday.Finnish investigators have already said they suspect the vessel, the NewNew Polar Bear, of causing serious damage to the nearby Balticconnector gas pipeline by dragging its anchor over the sea bed during the same voyage.
A Norwegian Navy ship shadowed a Chinese container ship investigated over damage to a gas pipeline in the Gulf of Finland for about 15 hours as it sailed along the western coast of Norway on Monday, vessel tracking data showed.Finnish investigators on Tuesday said they were looking into the Chinese vessel, the NewNew Polar Bear, and a Russian-flagged ship, the Sevmorput, as well as other vessels
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index rose to its highest in a year on Monday, helped by higher rates for capesize vessels.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, climbed 3.2% to 1,991.The capesize index added 176 points, gaining 5.3% to 3,485 - its highest level since May 25, 2022.
Major naval drills about to start in the Baltic Sea involving some 30 ships and more than 3,000 Western service members will for the first time practice how to respond to a Russian assault in the region, Germany's navy chief said on Friday."We are sending a clear message of vigilance to Russia: Not on our watch," Vice-Admiral Jan Christian Kaack told reporters in Berlin.
The deaths of a Polish woman and her 7-year-old son last week following their plunge from a Baltic Sea ferry travelling from Sweden to Poland was not an accident, a preliminary investigation by Danish authorities has found.The case was being investigated as a possible murder, Swedish prosecutors said on Friday.
A Polish woman and her 7-year-old son have died after plunging from a Baltic Sea ferry travelling from Sweden to Poland, a Polish police spokesman said on Friday.Swedish authorities said on Thursday the child had fallen off the vessel and that the mother proceeded to jump overboard in an attempted rescue. The two were later winched to a helicopter and taken to a Swedish hospital.
A mother and her 7-year-old child have been rescued after falling overboard on Thursday from a ferry traveling from Sweden to Poland, Swedish media reported.The two were being winched to a helicopter and are taken to a hospital, Stefan Land from the Swedish Maritime Administration told TT news agency, without specifying their condition.
India and China have snapped up the vast majority of Russian oil so far in April at prices above the Western price cap of $60 per barrel, according to traders and Reuters calculations.That means the Kremlin is enjoying stronger revenues despite the West's attempts to curb funds for Russia's military operations in Ukraine.
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index extended losses to a sixth straight session on Tuesday to touch a fresh 2-1/2-year low, dragged down by a dip in capesize and panamax rates.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, fell 19 points, or about 2.6%, to 721, its lowest since early-June 2020.The capesize index lost 50 points, or 6.
Europe's ban on seaborne Russian oil imports from Dec. 5 has prompted Moscow to divert its crude flows to Asia and failed to curb Russian supplies, according to traders and data from Refinitiv Eikon.Supplies of oil from Russia and Kazakhstan from the Baltic Sea ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk rose in the first half of January to 3.4 million tonnes from 2.
Exports of Russia's flagship Urals crude blend from Baltic Sea ports may fall by up to a fifth in December, after a Western price cap and an EU embargo on Russian oil took effect, according to traders and Reuters calculations.Traders said Russia has been unable to fully redirect Urals exports from Europe to other markets, notably India and China