"Do you have technical problems? Why did you anchor here?" - asked the crew of the Chinese cargo ship "Ji Peng 3" by the captain of a Danish military ship. Because the Chinese ship dropped its anchor in the middle of the Kategat sea area, between Denmark and Sweden. "No, we don't have any problems," answered the ship's crew over the radio. But the big question is why they stopped there with their ship. Did the Danish army force them to do it?
However, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen had no comment. At the press conference, he said only this: "Danish warships followed the freighter and the Danish authorities are working on the case."
Chinese sabotage?
In the past few days, two telecommunication cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea. One led from the German Rostock to Finland, the other connected Sweden and Lithuania. Many European politicians, including German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, suspected sabotage. Just who sabotaged it?
The Chinese freighter "Ji Peng 3" quickly came into the focus of Swedish investigators, because it sailed very close to two damaged underwater cables. German public broadcasters NDR and WDR, as well as the Munich-based daily Zeitung, report that the Chinese freighter did not transmit any location data for some time and that it reportedly sailed unusually slowly when near the now-damaged cables.
Hybrid rats and investigations
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson believes that the incidents could have been "deliberate sabotage". Meanwhile, the Swedish Navy is searching the areas. "These events already have signs of hybrid warfare," said Jimmy Adamson of the Swedish Navy.
Photos have now emerged showing a Chinese freighter anchored in the open sea between Denmark and Sweden. Right next to it: a Danish military patrol boat.
Official investigations into suspected sabotage have been launched in Finland and Sweden, with the support of the federal police from Germany. The "Bild" tabloid writes that for this purpose a federal police coast guard ship will be engaged and will soon set sail.
Cable protection is almost impossible
The security situation in the Baltic Sea has been extremely tense for some time. Ships from NATO countries, such as Finland or Sweden, meet Russian ships there. There are repeated claims that Russia or China could try to sabotage European cables.
Protecting the underwater infrastructure from attacks is very difficult, points out Jimmy Adamson from the Swedish Navy: "Because every second, thousands of ships and other vessels sail in the Baltic Sea - in the immediate vicinity of power or data transmission cables." We can't be everywhere at the same time and protect all the cables."
It is unclear how long it will be until the cause of the cable damage is determined. Both the Chinese and Russian governments have said they are not responsible for the damage to the cables.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, regarding the accusations against Moscow, that "it is absurd to continue to accuse Russia of everything without any basis." He described the accusations as "ridiculous", also considering the "lack of reaction to Ukraine's acts of sabotage in the Baltic Sea". Peskov was referring to the suspected sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, which is why the German judiciary is seeking an arrest warrant for the Ukrainian diving instructor who is said to be involved in the sabotage. The investigation, however, has not yet confirmed the involvement of the Ukrainian state.
China has signaled its willingness to cooperate with authorities in Sweden and Denmark. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing announced this Thursday that they will work together to ensure the security of the international underwater infrastructure.
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