Investigators say a Chinese ship’s crew deliberately dragged its anchor to cut undersea data cables

European investigators believe a Chinese-owned commercial ship deliberately dragged its anchor to sabotage the two undersea telecommunications cables cut in the Baltic Sea earlier this month. However, Western law enforcement and intelligence officials told The Wall Street Journal that they don’t believe the Chinese government was involved. Instead, the probe is focused on whether Russian intelligence persuaded the vessel’s captain to carry out the operation.

For the past week, NATO warships from Denmark, Germany and Sweden have surrounded the 225-meter-long Yi Peng 3. The ship’s Chinese owner, Ningbo Yipeng Shipping, is reportedly cooperating with investigators. The shipper allowed the commercial vessel to be stopped in international waters.

The WSJ says Swedish and German authorities are negotiating with the owner to access the ship and its crew. International maritime laws prevent NATO from forcing the vessel to sail into one of their ports.

European investigators believe the Yi Peng 3 dragged its anchor for over 100 miles along the Baltic seabed from November 17 to 18. They reportedly viewed satellite and other data showing that the vessel moved significantly slower than usual while weighed down by the anchor.

It severed two data cables: one connecting Lithuania and Sweden and another between Finland and Germany. After cutting the second cable, the ship reportedly zig-zagged, raised anchor, and continued.

Officials said the ship’s transponder was shut down during the incident. Investigators told theWSJ that their review of the anchor and hull showed damage consistent with that account.

“It’s extremely unlikely that the captain would not have noticed that his ship dropped and dragged its anchor, losing speed for hours and cutting cables on the way,” a senior European investigator told the WSJ. An analytics company specializing in international shipping told the paper that the likelihood of accidental anchor dragging “appears minimal.”

The Yi Peng 3 sailed solely in Chinese waters from December 2019 to early March 2024. At that point, it suddenly began carrying Russian coal and other goods and began stopping in Russian ports. When the Danish Navy stopped it, it was carrying Russian fertilizer.

In September, the US issued a warning about a heightened risk of Russian interference with undersea data cables.