Tanker captain accused of Baltic cable cut tells Finlands YLE he is innocent

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A crew works near the presumed anchor of the Eagle S tanker, on the deck of HMS Belos, off Porkkalanniemi, Finland in this undated Finnish police handout image. Lehtikuva/Police of Finland/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

HELSINKI - The Georgian captain of an oil tanker that damaged undersea cables in the Baltic Sea in late 2024 denied any wrongdoing, describing the incident as a marine accident in an interview with Finlands public broadcaster on Thursday.

Captain Davit Vadatchkoria and first and second officers of the Eagle S oil tanker face charges in Helsinki court next Monday over the cutting of power and telecommunications cables last December by dragging the vessels anchor some 90 km (56 miles) along the Gulf of Finland on its way west from a Russian oil port.

We are innocent. Its just a marine accident, Captain Davit Vadatchkoria, who remains in Finland under travel ban, told YLE broadcaster, which posted excerpts of the interview on its website.

When asked how neither he nor the crew noticed the ships anchor was dragging, Vadatchkoria said the ships autopilot did not detect any unusual movements, vibrations or course changes that would trigger an alarm, YLE said.

Finnish authorities have said the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S broke the Estlink 2 undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia and four internet lines, causing the owners at least 60 million euros ($70 million) in damages.

The Georgian and Indian nationals were charged with aggravated criminal