Finland and Estonia have remained tight-lipped about reports linking a Chinese vessel to damage on the Balticconnector pipeline last autumn.

Prime Ministers Petteri Orpo of Finland and Kaja Kallas of Estonia said on Wednesday, August 14, that investigations into the pipeline rupture are ongoing, and no conclusions can be reached yet. 

However, earlier reports suggest that the suspected ship was responsible for the damage to the Baltic pipeline and other subsea critical infrastructures. 

On Monday, the South China Morning Post reported that Chinese authorities had concluded that a Chinese freighter accidentally damaged the pipeline during a severe storm. 

The damaged Balticconnector pipeline connects Finland and Estonia in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. 

Finnish investigators found an anchor on the seabed and suspect it belonged to the Hong Kong-flagged container ship Newnew Polar Bear, owned by a Chinese shipping company.

Following the damage, which occurred on October 8, 2023, pipeline operators noticed a sudden pressure drop in the 77-kilometre gas pipeline, leading to gas supply interruption and subsequent shutdown of the Baltic pipeline.

Since then, the cause of the pipeline damage has not yet been clarified despite months of investigations by the Finish and Estonian authorities.