A dislodged anchor from a Chinese cargo vessel is believed to have caused damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, prompting an investigation involving the ship Newnew Polar Bear and a seabed trail.

A Chinese container ship’s dislodged anchor caused damage to a Baltic Sea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, Finnish police believe.

The Hong Kong-flagged cargo vessel Newnew Polar Bear is responsible for the damage earlier this month to the undersea Balticconnector pipeline spanning the Gulf of Finland, said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), citing evidence and data.

Investigators said the Finnish navy has retrieved an anchor from the location where the pipeline ruptured on 8 October, and they were investigating whether it belonged to the Chinese vessel.