Chinese ship Yi Peng 3, captained by a Russian officer, was intercepted and boarded by the Danish Navy’s vessel Y311 Søløven on November 19. This action followed its suspected involvement in the destruction of two critical undersea telecom cables in the Baltic Sea. The cables linked Finland to Germany and Sweden to Lithuania, and the incident has raised suspicions of deliberate sabotage.
New Polar Bear Chinese vessel
Before the attack, Yi Peng 3 departed from a Russian port and was closely monitored by Danish naval forces as it attempted to leave the area. The incident bears similarities to last year’s controversy involving the Chinese vessel New Polar Bear, which was found to have damaged the Balticconnector gas pipeline.
Latvian European Parliament member Rihards Kols was among the first to sound the alarm, urging swift action on social media. He warned that incidents like these highlight the risks posed by state-sponsored hybrid warfare aimed at destabilizing Europe’s infrastructure. Kols emphasized the growing threat to European security posed by actions involving China or Russia, calling for urgent countermeasures to address this escalating danger.
Chinese Ship Yi Peng 3
As Yi Peng 3 entered Danish waters, Danish naval forces deployed multiple vessels to track its movements. Real-time data from the ship’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) revealed its departure from the busy Kattegat shipping lane, with a Danish Navy vessel closely following it. A local pilot was even placed aboard the Yi Peng 3 as it navigated the narrow Danish Straits, ensuring constant monitoring. Coastal webcams corroborated these events, showing Danish patrol ships trailing the vessel, underscoring the seriousness of the situation and Denmark’s preparedness.
Chinese Ship in Baltic Sea raises concern
The gravity of the incident was highlighted in a joint statement by the foreign ministers of Germany and Finland, who condemned the cable attacks as a direct threat to their national security and that of the European Union. They pointed out that the immediate suspicion of deliberate sabotage underscores the volatility of current geopolitical tensions. The statement urged heightened vigilance and stronger defenses against hybrid warfare targeting critical infrastructure.
This event adds to a troubling series of attacks on Europe’s undersea cables and pipelines, many attributed to state-sponsored actors. For instance, in 2022, Norway reported the severing of an undersea fiber optic cable linking Svalbard to the mainland, later traced to a Russian vessel. Similarly, investigations into the earlier New Polar Bear incident revealed that the ship likely caused damage to the Balticconnector pipeline by dropping its anchor during a storm. Despite initial denials, Finnish investigators eventually confirmed the ship’s involvement, emphasizing the importance of continued surveillance in the region.
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