Forensic analysis of the anchor aims to verify that it belongs to the Eagle S tanker.
The criminal investigation into the cable ruptures in the Gulf of Finland continues today with the forensic analysis of the anchor.
- The anchor is undergoing a technical examination, including steps to confirm that it belongs to the tanker Eagle S, explains Tactical Leader, Detective Superintendent Risto Lohi of the National Bureau of Investigation.
The anchor raised during the joint operation by authorities on 06 January measures approximately 4 meters in length, 2.5 meters in width, and it weighs 11 tons.
The technical examination will focus on the question when the anchor became detached from its chain. The location where the anchor was found is near the place where Finnish authorities instructed the tanker Eagle S to raise the anchor it had been dragging.
- If the anchor only came loose during the hoisting, it is likely that the anchor could have caused further damage to the seabed infrastructure if the vessel had continued its journey, says Lohi.
The sequence of events leading up to the ruptures is already quite clear in a technical sense to the police, but there is still a lot of technical data storage media to be analysed.
Underwater investigations have determined the length of the drag trace on the seabed to be approximately 100 kilometres. The police continue to analyse the drag trace.
The Helsinki Police Department is leading the operation in the Gulf of Finland, and the Border Guard and Defence Forces are contributing to the carrying out of the operation. The National Bureau of Investigation is in charge of conducting the criminal investigation.
