Crew member of Fitburg remanded into custody

The Helsinki District Court on Sunday ordered a crew member of the vessel Fitburg to be placed in pre-trial detention, said police in a press release.

The police are investigating the incident as aggravated criminal damage, attempted aggravated criminal damage, and aggravated interference with telecommunications.

“The technical and tactical investigation of the case is progressing with the involvement of several authorities. At the core of the investigation is the assessment of intent and the information influencing it. There have been incidents in the Gulf of Finland in recent years, and this case proves that both national and international cooperation between authorities functions seamlessly,” said Tactical Leader of investigation Risto Lohi of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Meanwhile, the police in cooperation with the Border Guard and the Defence Forces, have conducted maritime investigations.

Estonian authorities have participated in the investigative efforts on site.

Subsea examinations have focused on, among other things, drag marks found on the seabed, which appear to align with the vessel's route.

Based on the examinations conducted so far, there is reason to suspect that the anchor and anchor chain of the Fitburg vessel have dragged along the seabed for at least several tens of kilometres before reaching the point of damage to the telecommunications cable owned by Elisa.

Earlier on January 3, the police sought pre-trial detention of a crew member of the cargo vessel Fitburg over the suspected damage of telecommunications cable in the Gulf of Finland on December 31, 2025.

On January 2, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has setup a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) with Estonia to probe into the suspected damage of telecommunications cable.

Earlier on January 1, the police arrested two individuals of the cargo vessel Fitburg and imposed travel ban on two other persons.

Finnish authorities detained the freighter Fitburg on suspicion of damaging undersea data cables in the Gulf of Finland early December 31, 2025.