Event a49d91e9-d458-4a55-9987-5d9dd9d40396

Approved event from Hybrid War Tracker

Status: Approved Confidence: Low Category: Undersea Country: Finland Country: Estonia Country: Hong Kong Country: China

Source: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/33...

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Event Time

7mo ago

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Created

1mo ago

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Updated

1mo ago

Summary

Headline: Ship captain remanded in custody in Hong Kong over damaging Baltic Sea pipeline

Short Summary: Captain of Hong Kong-flagged ship remanded after being charged over the suspected severing of a Baltic Sea gas pipeline in October 2023.

Description

A Hong Kong-flagged container ship captain was remanded in custody in Hong Kong on suspicion of severing a critical Baltic Sea gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland in October 2023. The captain, Wan Wenguo, faces a criminal damage charge and two alleged violations of marine by-laws related to navigation safety and anchoring procedures. Prosecutors allege the NewNew Polar Bear's voyage resulted in damages to the Balticconnector pipeline and a nearby telecoms cable.

Evidence

Quotes

The captain of a Hong Kong-flagged container ship has been remanded in custody on suspicion of severing a critical Baltic Sea gas pipeline running between Estonia and Finland two years ago.

Wan Wenguo, 43, appeared at Eastern Court on Thursday to face a count of criminal damage and two charges for alleged violations of local marine by-laws during the NewNew Polar Bear’s voyage from October to December of 2023.

Prosecutors held the defendant, who is from mainland China, liable for the damages caused to the 77km (47.8-mile) Balticconnector, a natural gas pipeline that is a key source of energy for Finland, as well as a nearby telecoms cable, when the freight vessel sailed through the Gulf of Finland on October 8 of that year.

Source

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3309618/ship-captain-remanded-custody-hong-kong-over-damaging-baltic-sea-pipeline