Captain of ship that damaged Balticconnector faces charges in Hong Kong

TALLINN - Wan Wenguo, captain of the container ship NewNew Polar Bear that allegedly damaged the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland in October 2023, faces a count of criminal damage and two charges for alleged violation of marine by-laws, South China Morning Post reported.

The 43-year-old has been remanded in custody on suspicion of severing the gas pipeline running between Estonia and Finland in 2023, Postimees said, citing the report.

Wan Wenguo appeared at the Eastern Court of Hong Kong on Thursday to face a count of criminal damage and two charges for alleged violations of local marine by-laws during the NewNew Polar Bear's voyage from October to December of 2023.

Prosecutors held the defendant, who is from mainland China, liable for the damages caused to the Balticconnector, as well as a nearby telecoms cable, when the freight vessel sailed through the Gulf of Finland on Oct. 8, 2023.

They also accused Wan of breaching navigation safety protocols by failing to ensure the ship had enough anchors and of not making daily reports to the vessel's owner. The court scheduled the next hearing for early July to allow time for further investigations.

In October 2023, the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, as well as an underwater communication cable, were damaged. The gas pipeline damage occurred in Finland's economic zone, while the communication cable was damaged in the economic zone of Estonia. China subsequently acknowledged that one of its ships was indeed involved in the destruction of both the cable and the pipeline, but denied any suggestion that the damage had been intentional.

Spokespeople for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in May 2024 that China was ready to cooperate with Estonia in the investigation of the Chinese ship NewNew Polar Bear, but so far the Estonian authorities had no information on whether China had taken any action. The vessel also recently changed flag and is now flying the flag of Panama.

Kauri Sinkevicius, spokesman for the prosecutor's office in Tallinn, told Postimees last month that the prosecutor's office had requested various data from China through a legal assistance request, but China had not yet responded to the request.

"It is not yet possible for us to assess whether and what data China has already collected or how this will affect further procedural acts. At the same time, the Estonian Internal Security Service is also gathering other evidence," Sinkevicius said at the time. In light of new developments, Postimees now approached the prosecutor's office again.

Postimees noted that the NewNew Polar Bear incident was the first potential act of sabotage in the Baltic Sea, and several similar incidents followed later.