Finnish court sentences Fitburg captain and crew member over cable damage

A Finnish court convicted the Fitburg’s Russian captain and an Azerbaijani crew member of aggravated criminal damage over damage to two telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland. The captain received a three-and-a-half-year sentence and the crew member two years and 10 months; both defendants denied wrongdoing and challenged Finland’s jurisdiction.

• The Helsinki District Court found the captain and a senior crew member guilty of aggravated criminal damage over damage to two undersea telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland last year.· 2 sources
• The court said the ship’s anchor was intentionally dragged along the seabed for about 130 kilometres.· 1 source
• The captain was sentenced to three and a half years in prison; the Azerbaijani crew member received two years and 10 months.· 2 sources
• The defendants denied wrongdoing and challenged Finland’s jurisdiction. They were ordered to pay about €1.9 million in damages jointly, with the captain assigned about €85,000 more.· 1 source
• Finnish authorities seized the Fitburg on December 31 after suspecting it had damaged cables linking Helsinki and Tallinn.· 1 source