In Finland, prosecutors seek at least 2.5 years in prison for Fitburg captain and boatswain
The Helsinki District Court in Finland is hearing a case concerning damage to undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland on New Year’s night. Prosecutors are seeking at least two and a half years in prison for Russian captain of the Fitburg cargo vessel Andrei Maksimenko and an Azerbaijani boatswain, YLE News reports.
The prosecution’s version
According to the prosecution, the vessel dragged its anchor along the seabed for 130 kilometers. The prosecutor believes this damaged two undersea telecommunications cables and involved an attempt to damage another eight undersea connections.
According to the prosecution, the incident created a serious danger to the operation of telecommunications, electricity and gas networks in Finland. The captain and boatswain are charged with aggravated criminal damage and aggravated interference with telecommunications. The prosecution’s position is that the cable damage was intentional.
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The defense’s position
Both seafarers deny the charges and state that the Fitburg did not cause the cable damage. They also believe that Finland has no jurisdiction in the case because, according to them, the damage occurred in Estonia’s economic zone.
The boatswain told the court that he has worked on the vessel since November 2017 and knows its deck equipment. According to him, on December 28 he began work and inspected the deck equipment and engine room. He also stated that the anchor was secured in St. Petersburg and that the anchor itself was covered with ice and clay.
