More Cables Cut

[Tupsis]

AIS track for Eagle S:

AIS track for the Swedish Navy ship Belos which retrieved the anchor:

Both tracks are color-coded for speed; dark red is ~0 knots.

The Finnish news also mentioned that the anchor was found at the end of the track off Porkkala (the peninsula west of Helsinki and north of the indicated position).

The grey line is the territorial water limit.

[LupusProximo]

THX. But i am looking not for pictorial answer but am interested in numbers.
Lat = N yy.yy.y deg
Lon = E xxx.xx.x deg
As this item is missing in all news i have encountered in contrast with previous incidents. Such item like vsl stopping due to whatever reasons is logged both on board the stopped vessel as well as on board units representing littoral state authority doing the arrest/stoppage etc, etc.
I will check again video clip delivered by Dr.Sal

[Tupsis]

Based on HSwMS Belos’s movements, the anchor was likely raised at 59° 48.357’ N 24° 35.671’ E; it’s the only position where the vessel was stationary off Porkkala.

Eagle S’s westmost AIS data point is at 59° 48.354’ N 24° 35.388’ E after which the vessel began drifting northeast; this aligns with hauling in the dragging port side anchor chain. Shortly thereafter, it got underway again and headed directly to Finnish waters.

The Finnish OPV Turva didn’t have the AIS transmitter on when Eagle S stopped and I don’t recall reading anywhere whether it was following it or if it intercepted the tanker head-on.

[LupusProximo]

Dark Fleet Tanker Might Have Damaged More Subsea Lines if Not Stopped

Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has found and recovered the missing anchor from the “dark fleet” tanker Eagle S, which is suspected of severing four subsea telecom cables and a high-voltage power cable in the Baltic on Christmas Day. The next step in the investigation is to determine when it came loose - before or after the authorities asked the Eagle S to raise the anchor it was dragging on the bottom

What one can catch with such a short fluke??
Fishing line??

What is the estimated max dia of a pipe or cable that can be caught with such a truncated fluke.?? any ideas??

Anchors : 02.01.2018

[LupusProximo]

https://gcaptain.com/baltic-sea-cable-cuts-cant-be-accident-eu-tech-chief-says/

The European Union’s new digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, suggested the repeated damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea couldn’t be fully accidental, as leaders from the region prepare to gather for a NATO summit devoted to the topic

[ombugge]

Full text: Joint Statement of the Baltic Sea NATO Allies Summit

We are determined to deter, detect and counter any attempts at sabotage. Any attack against our infrastructure will be met with a robust and determined response. We stand ready to attribute hostile actions committed by malign actors, as appropriate.
Increasing the security of the Baltic Sea and its critical undersea infrastructure is a joint interest for the Alliance and the EU. Through our joint actions, as outlined in this declaration, we actively contribute to efforts to secure and safeguard our undersea critical infrastructure, thereby strengthening NATO’s collective efforts and advancing NATO’s ongoing work, including the renewal of NATO’s maritime strategy, as we approach the NATO Summit in the Hague.

[ombugge]

Not only in the Baltic:

Norway increases safety for underwater infrastructure

Norway, together with the United States and the Nordic-Baltic allies, has agreed on four concrete measures to increase the security of underwater infrastructure.
This is stated by Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

Since last fall, the United States and the Nordic and Baltic countries have collaborated to counter the risk of attacks on underwater infrastructure.
– For Norway, which has several thousand kilometers of undersea cables, it is very important to counter attacks on the infrastructure on the seabed, he says.
Barth Eide points out that damaged cables and pipelines on the seabed expose a vulnerability that is important for Norwegian security.
– It is necessary that we work together with our neighboring countries and with the United States on this issue, he says.

Source: Nato etablerer nytt senter for å bekjempe trusler i Østersjøen – NRK Urix – Utenriksnyheter og -dokumentarer

Here is one way Norway will increase surveillance in it’s wast coastal waters and EEZ area:

New satellite will strengthen Norway’s ability to monitor the oceans

Norway’s new maritime eyes can photograph ships that do not want to cooperate with the authorities.

TECHNOLOGY: Newly developed low-light camera will strengthen maritime surveillance in Norwegian waters. Illustration: Norwegian Coastal Administration

Together with the Norwegian Coastal Administration and the Armed Forces, they are behind the development of the satellite that will be launched from California in the USA on Tuesday evening at 7:49 p.m. Norwegian time .

Facts about the satellite

• The NorSat-4 satellite is 30 x 31 x 45 cm and weighs 34 kilograms.
• The satellite will map ship traffic in Norwegian waters.
• NorSat-4 is loaded with AIS receiver, low light imager (LLI) and Nanosat encryption unit.
• Built by Space Flight Laboratory, with instruments from Kongsberg Discovery, Eidsvoll Electronics and French Safran Reosc.
• The satellite is owned by the Norwegian Coastal Administration, and financed by the Norwegian Coastal Administration and the Ministry of Defence. It will be controlled by Statsat AS. The low-light images are analyzed by the Norwegian Defence Research Institute (FFI).

Source: Ny satellitt skal styrke Norges evne til havovervåkning – NRK Troms og Finnmark

[Offshoreshipadvisor]

Seems to be happening far too often for it to be accidental. Very intresting read. Thanks for posting

[Kennebec_Captain]

@LupusProximo

What one can catch with such a short fluke??

That’s roughly the size of the grapple (although not the same shape) used by the cable ships for recovering the SOSUS cable. An anchor with standard size flukes would be more likely to dig in too deep.

That cable was “Quad 21”, IIRC it’s diameter was about 3-4 inches.

[ombugge]

NATO, Baltic states and Taiwan to clamp down on cable cutters - Splash247

Baltic Sentry will involve a range of assets, including frigates, submarines, maritime patrol aircraft, and drones.
Rutte stressed the importance of robust enforcement. He highlighted how Finland has demonstrated that firm action within the law is possible, recently arresting the Eagle S tanker and its crew over a suspected cable attack.
“Ship captains must understand that potential threats to our infrastructure will have consequences, including possible boarding, impounding, and arrest,” Rutte said.

[LupusProximo]

Can You be so kind and get the pic. of grapple used by cable ships please.

As to the relation btw the size of flukes and cable/pipe dia , the bigger the fluke , the larger the dia of grabbable pipe/cable i think.

[LupusProximo]

Tanker seized by Finland over ripped cables won’t face cargo sanctions probe | Reuters

The ship’s cargo is subject to sanctions imposed against Russia by the European Union, and thus barred from importation into Finland. But because the vessel entered Finnish territorial waters at the request of Finnish authorities, the crew cannot be considered to have intentionally violated those sanctions, the Customs Office said.

So it confirms earlier suspicions the vessel was halted outside Finnish teritorial waters.

Now they say vsl was “requested” to enter Finnish waters but before it was “the FCG TOOK COMMAND” of the said vessel.

Those who think it is not a big BS pls speak up.

Tanker Seized by Finland Over Damaged Cables Won’t Face Sanctions-Evasion Probe

[ombugge]

The smoking gun?:

Chinese anchor-like device to cut cables makes headlines - Splash247

According to Newsweek’s review of Chinese-language patent applications, engineers in China invented devices to sever such cables using anchor-like devices.
The patent application from Lishui University stated that “more and more submarine cables and communication cables are laid on the seabed of all parts of the world and the cables need to be cut off in some emergency situations”.

The existence of such a patent application does not mean that they were used in any of the recent incidents, however, it does show that Chinese engineers were looking into the idea for such an activity.
One of the reasons for that was the existence of illegal cables off China that needed to be destroyed which produced a patent application for an anchor-shaped “ocean towing type cutting device”. This latest application builds on the one from 2009 created by marine engineers at China’s State Oceanic Administration. Newsweek stated that both applications were dropped or turned down for unclear reasons, citing Chinese records.

Since both the Yi Peng 3 and Eagle S has been boarded and search there should be record if any devise like this was found onboard any of those vessels (or on the seabed?)
Any such report seen?

[ombugge]

DLM has invested in its stock of grapnels, to meet purchase demand from subsea cable lay companies and ship operators. (Image credit: DLM)
Source: DLM Expands Grapnel Stock for Subsea Cable Work - environment coastal & offshore

Another supplier:

Grapnel equipment - CIV Offshore & Shipping

[LupusProximo]

Great!!! THX . Wow, looks like the design offers much more grabbing capabilities than pictured above anchor with truncated flukes.

[LupusProximo]

@ombugge

“Ship captains must understand that potential threats to our infrastructure will have consequences, including possible boarding, impounding, and arrest,” Rutte said.

Wow. This dovetails nicely with the rcent innitiative of INTERMANAGER

InterManager Launches Campaign to Tackle Criminalization of Seafarers

Looks to me that nobody else but russians have some extraordinary magic & power to convince foreign flagged vsls captains of different nationalities to do criminal things .

[BeerCaptain]

Do you have much time working on cable ships?

[LupusProximo]

Was it a cable ship that damaged the cables???

[BeerCaptain]

Idk what that has to do with what I asked?

[Kennebec_Captain]

I don’t have any photos. The grapple used on the cable ship I was on didn’t look like a conventional grapple.

If you hold you hand out in front of you, palm up and then curl you fingers as if to look at your fingernails, that’s roughly the shape of the working side of the grapple

If you flip your hand over and look at the back, imagine instead of being flat it was more rounded.

The actual grapple train was made up of several of these, chained together, each one rotated 90 degrees from the ones it was connected to.

It was beefy, heavy. We’d grapple for the cable in deep water, a mile or more. We’d often snag the cable on the first pass.

As far as size, each section was maybe 60 cm long, 20 cm in diameter, more or less.