- Court Adjourns Case as Prosecutors Await Evidence from Finland and Estonia.
- No Bail for Captain Facing Criminal Damage and Safety Violations.
- Baltic Infrastructure Damage Case Postponed Until September 26.
A Hong Kong court has appointed a duty lawyer for the captain of a ship accused of damaging underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. The case has been postponed until September, giving prosecutors additional time to gather evidence, reports Reuters.
Legal Representation and Court Proceedings
The 43-year-old Chinese national showed up at Hong Kong’s Eastern Magistrates’ Court without a lawyer. Consequently, the court assigned a duty lawyer to represent him. The captain faces allegations of “criminal damage” to an underwater gas pipeline and submarine telecom cables that connect Finland and Estonia, with the incident reportedly occurring on October 8, 2023, as detailed in a charge sheet reviewed by Reuters.
The charge sheet states the defendant: “without lawful excuse damaged the property belonging to another” and that he had been “reckless as to whether such property would be damaged.” The magistrate adjourned the case until September 26, after prosecutors explained they needed more time to obtain documents and evidence from Finnish and Estonian authorities.
Additional Charges and Custody Status
Alongside the criminal damage charge, the captain is also facing two more charges tied to alleged breaches of international maritime safety regulations, specifically the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
During a previous hearing in May, right after his arrest, the defendant opted not to apply for bail and was placed in custody. He made the same choice again on Friday and was sent back to detention.
Regional Concerns Over Sabotage
The Baltic Sea area has been on high alert for possible sabotage ever since a wave of disruptions to power cables, gas pipelines, and telecom networks began following the onset of the war in Ukraine in early 2022.
Several European governments have pointed the finger at Russia, accusing it of carrying out hybrid attacks on vital infrastructure. However, Moscow has firmly denied these claims, asserting that the West is trying to undermine Russian interests through an information war.
Damage to Subsea Infrastructure Under Investigation
Finnish authorities report that the vessel is suspected of dragging its anchor along the seabed, which resulted in the severing of the Balticconnector gas pipeline that connects Finland and Estonia.
Estonian investigators are also looking into whether the vessel caused damage to telecom cables that link Estonia with Finland and Sweden on October 7–8, just before it arrived at a port near Saint Petersburg. Authorities from both Finland and Estonia have yet to determine if the damage was accidental or intentional, and their investigations are still ongoing.
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Source: Reuters
