Spy Equipment Found On Tanker Seized By Finland Lloyd's List

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Spy equipment has been discovered on the Russia-linked tanker Eagle
S, which was seized by Finland on suspicion of damaging an underwater cable in the Baltic Sea. The devices were used for monitoring naval activities.

That is according to Lloyd's List , citing a source, as reported by Ukrinform.

The equipment effectively turned the tanker into a "spy vessel" for Russia.

The publication highlights that the hi-tech equipment on board was abnormal for a merchant ship and consumed more power from the ship's generator, leading to repeated blackouts. The equipment reportedly arrived onboard in“huge portable suitcases,” along with numerous laptops that had keyboards for Turkish and Russian languages. The devices were kept on the bridge, the top-most place on the ship.

According to the source, the equipment was used to record all radio frequencies and to track NATO naval ships and aircraft. After reaching Russian ports, the devices were offloaded for analysis. Additionally, the Eagle
S allegedly dropped“sensors-type devices” in the English Channel during a transit.

Lloyd's List also reported that similar spy equipment was installed on another Russia-linked tanker Swiftsea Rider.

Read also: Azerbaijani government on Embraer plane crash : Preliminary conclusions indicate external interference

Cook Islands-flagged Eagle
S and Honduras-flagged Swiftsea Rider are two of 26 elderly Russia-linked tankers with opaque ownership structures connected to three related shipmanagers, including two sanctioned by the UK government 12 months ago for“propping up Putin's war machine”. The tankers were bought in 2022–2023 and placed under bareboat charter arrangements with Eiger Shipping, the shipping arm of Russia oil trader Litasco.

As previously reported, the Eagle
S tanker was detained by Finland's authorities investigating sabotage of the Estlink
2 undersea cable which disrupted electricity supply from Finland to Estonia. Finland's police reported that on December 25, the tanker slowed down and dragged its anchor near the cable in the Baltic Sea.

On December 25, Finland's grid operator Fingrid announced a power outage caused by damage to the Estlink 2 cable connecting Finland and Estonia.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that the Alliance will increase its presence in the Baltic Sea following incidents of undersea cable damage.

MENAFN28122024000193011044ID1109037182