Finnish and Estonian police pre-trial investigation of the Fitburg has concluded

TALLINN - The seizure of the vessel Fitburg, suspected of damaging a communication cable on New Year's Eve, has been terminated, and the ship will be escorted out of Finland on Monday, the Finnish police announced.

The pre-trial investigation by Finnish and Estonian police aboard the vessel has concluded, allowing for the termination of its seizure, said Risto Lohi, Director of Investigation at the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (KRP), in a statement. The ship was scheduled to depart from the port of Kantvik in Kirkkonummi at approximately 11 a.m.

The Border Guard will monitor the vessel's departure from Finland's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.

The operation led by the Helsinki Police Department will conclude once the Fitburg has departed from the port of Kantvik. "Afterward, the authorities will resume their normal operations and will provide independent information within their respective areas of responsibility," the statement reads.

The Fitburg is suspected of severing a submarine cable belonging to Elisa on New Year's Eve. The site of the damage is located in Estonia's economic zone. One of the ship's crew members remains in custody; the Helsinki District Court extended his detention during a new hearing on Sunday, police said. Several other crew members are under a travel ban.

On Wednesday, Finnish Customs announced it would not launch a criminal investigation into a suspected sanctions violation by the Fitburg's crew. Customs had administratively detained the vessel's cargo during the preliminary investigation.

The ship entered Finnish territorial waters at the request of the Finnish authorities. Consequently, Customs concluded that the Fitburg's crew did not intentionally bring sanctioned steel products into Finnish territorial waters or violate sanctions-related legislation.

According to the customs investigation, the structural steel in the vessel's cargo is classified as a product subject to sanctions against Russia. The Fitburg was en route from St. Petersburg, Russia, to the port of Haifa in Israel.