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Finnish authorities are investigating an oil tanker that is part of Russia’s shadow fleet over whether it cut a power cable between Finland and Estonia.

The Eagle S was grounded by Finnish authorities after the Estlink 2 subsea power cable in the Gulf of Finland broke on Wednesday. The tanker, registered in the Cook Islands and carrying oil from Russia to Egypt according to ship tracking data, was seen passing the cable at the time of the incident.

The aging tanker is part of Russia’s shadow fleet and is at the center of Finland’s investigation, according to people familiar with the investigation. The Eagle S is also being investigated as to whether it cut three communication cables in the Gulf of Finland, the people added.

the shadow fleet is a group of old and often poorly maintained vessels used by Russia to evade international sanctions on its oil exports.

The Christmas Day incident appears to be the latest in a series of pipelines and cables targeted in the Baltic Sea by foreign vessels, raising fears of deliberate attacks on critical infrastructure between us countries.

“We must be able to prevent the dangers posed by ships belonging to the Russian shadow fleet,” said Finnish President Alexander Stubb in a post on X after a meeting of security chiefs on Thursday.

Last year a Chinese container ship, the Newnew Polar Bear, cutting a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia but not stopped by authorities such as international waters.

A Chinese bulk carrier, the Yi Peng 3, last month passed two data cables between Finland and Germany and Sweden and Lithuania about the times they were cut. It stopped for a month in international waters between Denmark and Sweden.

Chinese investigators finally boarded the ship last week, with Swedish, Danish, German and Finnish representatives as observers. But Sweden’s foreign minister criticized Beijing for not allowing Sweden’s lead investigator on board or to inspect the shipwhich has now left the region.

The Eagle S case is different because the ship voluntarily stopped within Finnish waters, according to people familiar with the investigation, leaving no question about jurisdiction. Ownership of Eagle S is not good but it is the only ship owned by a company in Dubai. Attempts to reach the owner Thursday were unsuccessful.

The authorities have not yet determined the cause of the break in the Estlink 2 cable. Estonia also said it would not affect electricity supply. The cable is used to export electricity from Finlandwhich recently brought the latest nuclear power plant online, to Estonia.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the country’s electricity supply would not be affected.

The Finnish authorities are keeping an open mind on the latest incident, especially since dozens of poorly maintained vessels of the shadow fleet are sailing in the Baltic Sea.

Environmental campaigners have repeatedly warned of the dangers in the region and elsewhere of wrecked ships.

In the Mediterranean, a Russian cargo ship under US sanctions for working with the Russian military sank between Spain and Algeria on Tuesday.