EAGLE S

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Photo of anchor released

The Finnish police have released pictures of the recovered anchor of the 'Eagle S'. which show that the anchor's crown is cracked, and its flukes are much shorter than typical. Previous photos of the 'Eagle S', which were taken in years past, when she operated under a previous name, showed that the tanker was originally equipped with normal Hall- or Speck-type anchors, like most merchant ships. The NBI was investigating serious sabotage after the cable break on the Estlink 2 power cable on Christmas Day, with the tanker being suspected of dragging the anchor on the seabed, destroying several important cables on the bottom of the Gulf of Finland. The anchor, which came loose and disappeared into the sea, was recovered by the Swedish submarine rescue ship 'Belos'. The anchor is about four meters long, two and a half meters wide and weighs 11 tons. It was found at a depth of 55 meters. A Swedish and a Finnish diver worked together on the seabed. The anchor was taken care of by the 'Belos' and then handed over to Finnish authorities for further investigation. The police confirmed that a forensic analysis of the anchor has determined that it belongs to the 'Eagle S'. Investigations on the seabed also confirmed that the trail is longer than initially thought - approximately 100 kilometers in total. The police continued to analyze the trail. The location where the anchor was recovered happened to be near the place where Finnish authorities instructed the 'Eagle S' to raise her anchor. This is of interest to the authorities, as it raises questions about whether the incident could have been worse without government intervention. The tanker's onward route would have passed over the Estlink 1 power cable, as well as the Balticconnector gas line. If the anchor only came loose during the hoisting, it is likely that the anchor could have caused further damage to the seabed infrastructure if the vessel had continued its journey, Detective Superintendent Risto Lohi of the National Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. The 'Belos' has meanwhile returned to Sweden after helping the Finnish authorities in the investigation into the cable sabotage. On Jan 4, HMS the 'Belos' had left the portof Karlskrona with a crew of 42 people on board, This is the fourth time that the ship has gone out to investigate suspected sabotage in the Baltic Sea, but the commander Fredrik Folbert expects to go out again. Reports with photos: https://maritime-executive.com/article/dark-fleet-tanker-might-have-damaged-more-subsea-lines-if-not-stopped https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/sverige/har-ar-eagle-s-ankare/ https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/besattningen-pa-hms-belos-blixtinkallades-for-att-barga-ankare https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/blekinge/folj-med-ombord-pa-hms-belos-fartyget-som-hittade-ankaret-efter-kabelsabotaget https://www.maritimedanmark.dk/finsk-politi-anker-kunne-udlose-storre-skade

Recovered anchor severely damaged

After Finnish and Swedish authorities have recovered the lost anchor of the 'Eagle S' on Jan 6 at 5 p.m., it showed signs of extreme damage. At least one fluke was broken off and missing, the location of the break has worn and rounded edges, indicating abrasion after the break occurred. A large crack is visible on the crown. Maritime security experts have expressed little doubt that the anchor-drag incident was intentional, given how many manual tasks would have to be performed and then overlooked by the crew to cause it by accident. Eight crewmembers are suspected of criminal activity. To execute this maneuver by accident, the 'Eagle S' would have to slow down and pay out the right length of anchor chain, then secure it to prevent it from running out all the way under extreme loads. This sequence would have to happen while making way in a busy sea lane, next to submarine cable crossings, factors that firmly rule out a normal anchoring evolution. Then, over the course of a 50-mile transit, they would have to fail to notice the effects of the anchor dragging on the bottom. Dragging typically causes vibration of the chain at the hawsepipe, a vibration that would likely be extreme when dragging under power at nine knots, a load severe enough to damage the anchor. "The location where the anchor was found was along the tanker’s route, near the Porkkala Peninsula. The anchor was located towards the western end of the drag trace found on the seabed, near the point where the trace ends, according to Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Officials suspect that the 'Eagle S' dragged its anchor under power for about 50 nautical miles along the bottom of the Baltic, dredging up and severing five cables. It was the third such incident in 15 months, following similar cable casualties involving the Chinese 'Newnew Polar Bear' and 'Yi Peng 3'. Report with photos: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/suspected-sabotage-ship-s-anchor-shows-signs-of-extreme-damage

Inspection revealed 32 defiencies and poor condition

The Finnish authorities have completed the technical inspection of the 'Eagle S' the same day the lost anchor was recovered. According to the transport agency Traficom, the ship is in poor condition. The nspection revealed 32 defiencies. The deficiencies concerned fire safety, navigation equipment and ventilation of pump rooms. Several of the deficiencies were due to the safety management system not being observed to a sufficient extent. The same things have also been noted during previous port state controls. In addition, there are deficiencies in, among other things, how the crew members lives on board and the safety of the electrical system .Three of the defects are so serious that the ship must first undergo repairs which will take some time, partly because external assistance is needed. Traficom has investigated whether the ship itself meets international agreement requirements, while the Central Criminal Police is investigating the cable break, which is suspected of being a serious act of sabotage. The ship, which is suspected of having intentionally severed the Estlink 2 power cable, remained anchored in Sköldvik near Porvoo. Reports with photos: https://www.ad.nl/buitenland/finland-bergt-anker-van-schip-dat-betrokken-zou-zijn-bij-sabotage-stroomkabels-in-oostzee~ada8b3b6/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F https://yle.fi/a/7-10070227 https://www.sjofartstidningen.se/overvakningen-skarps-i-ostersjon/