A district court in Finland has ruled that the state has no jurisdiction to prosecute the captain and two officers of the oil tanker Eagle S, accused of damaging underwater power and internet cables in the Baltic Sea last year.
The trial was among the first legal attempts to punish suspects for damaging critical underwater infrastructure. However, the case was complicated by international maritime law provisions and the difficulty of proving criminal intent.
The three accused denied all charges.
“The district court today issued a decision dismissing the indictment in this case… along with the compensation claims arising from it, since Finnish criminal law cannot be applied here,” the court said in a statement.
The incident, which took place on December 25, 2024, prompted NATO forces in the region to be put on alert. It was one of several episodes of damage to cables and gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
