Finland Police Continue Gas Pipeline Rupture Probe

Finnish Police Investigate Baltic Sea Gas Pipeline Rupture

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finnish police said on Friday that a probe into the rupture in 2023 of a gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea is still ongoing and that cooperation with China has continued over the damage believed to have been caused by a Hong Kong-flagged vessel.

The South China Morning Post reported on Thursday that the captain of the NewNew Polar Bear container ship had been remanded in custody in Hong Kong on suspicion of the ship severing the pipeline.

The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"Any measures taken by the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities in connection with the investigation are matters that will be communicated by the competent authorities themselves," Finland's National Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.

The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and the NATO military alliance has boosted its presence with frigates, aircraft and naval drones.

(Reporting by Anne Kauranen and Anna Ringstrom, editing by Terje Solsvik)