The Russian captain and an Azerbaijani crew member of the tanker Fitburg were sentenced to prison for sabotage of underwater cables in the Gulf of Finland. The Helsinki District Court sentenced the captain to 3 years and 6 months, and the crew member to 2 years and 10 months in prison on November 5, 2026.
Details of the Incident and Cargo
On December 31, 2025, the Finnish Border Guard and Coast Guard detained the tanker Fitburg in the Gulf of Finland. The tanker was en route from the port of Saint Petersburg, Russia, to Israel and was inspected due to suspicion of damaging communication cables running from Helsinki to Estonia. The damage occurred due to the anchor chain and anchor being dragged over approximately 130 kilometers (81 miles) of the seabed.
Legal Consequences and Reactions
The conviction of the captain and crew came as Finland has intensified its efforts to protect underwater infrastructure following several similar incidents in recent years. The country also held an exercise for boarding ships in September 2025. The defendants' lawyers stated that the captain would appeal the court's ruling, while the crew has yet to decide on an appeal.
The tanker Fitburg, which was sailing under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, has been released after the incident. Despite the conviction, the defendants denied any wrongdoing and contested the jurisdiction of the Finnish court in this case.
Investigations reveal that 14 crew members of this tanker had various nationalities, including Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan.
