Chinese ship linked to baltic disruption leaves Denmark
The Chinese ship Yi Peng 3, suspected of sabotage in the Baltic Sea, which had been waiting for a month in international waters within Denmark's Kattegat Strait, set off on Saturday to continue its journey to its destination port in Egypt.
This information about the ship's departure, which had been under the watch of the Danish navy, was confirmed to Danish television DR by the country's armed forces.
On Thursday, representatives from the Chinese authorities and observers from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Lithuania boarded the Yi Peng 3. Jonas Baeckstrand, head of the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority participating in the onboard activities, said they "managed to talk to the crew and check technical issues".
They did not allow the prosecutor to board
However, the Chinese side did not agree to the presence of a Swedish prosecutor leading the investigation into possible sabotage. Maria Malmer Stenergard, Sweden's Minister of Foreign Affairs, described this as "significant" in an interview with the TT agency.
The Stockholm prosecutor's office has been investigating since November into potential sabotage related to the breaking of two telecommunications cables linking Lithuania with Sweden in the Baltic Sea in mid-November. Authorities in Germany, Finland, and Lithuania have also launched proceedings. Yi Peng 3, which departed from one of the Russian ports, is suspected of damaging the cables.
Media have published photos of the vessel showing one of the raised anchors being damaged. This could have caused snagging on the cables. At the end of November, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that the government had made an official request to the Chinese authorities for cooperation on this matter and additionally demanded, among other things, that the ship enter Swedish territorial waters, which, however, did not occur.
