Lloyd's List: The spy ship served the interests of Russia.

According to the publication Lloyd's List, a similar piece of equipment was found on another tanker linked to the Eagle S through its owners and facing sanctions from the UK. The name of the second tanker is Swiftsea Rider.

Eagle S, flying the Cook Islands flag, and Swiftsea Rider, flying the Honduran flag, are two of 26 older tankers associated with Russia. These connections reveal opaque ownership structures and ties to three shipping companies, two of which were sanctioned by the UK 12 months ago for "supporting Putin's military machine."

Eagle S was boarded by Finnish forces investigating sabotage on the Estlink 2 underwater cable. The enemy's actions resulted in a disruption of electricity supply from Finland to Estonia.

The Finnish police reported that the tanker slowed down and dragged its anchor around the cable at noon on December 25. Three other cables were also damaged.

A source, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons, provided Lloyd's List with at least 60 confidential documents regarding Eagle S in June. Among these documents was an inspection report detailing deficiencies in the security system. The inspection took place while the vessel was anchored in Danish territorial waters.

In July, Lloyd's List reported serious deficiencies on the Eagle S that endangered the safety of the environment and crew. The publication highlighted inadequate maintenance and non-compliance with regulatory and technical standards.

Later, the same source provided additional information, informing Lloyd's List that an unauthorized individual was found aboard the Eagle S, who was not a sailor.

Notably, the inspection revealed the method by which listening and recording devices were brought on board. This involved "huge portable cases" and "numerous laptops" with keyboards in Turkish and Russian.

All this equipment was stored on the bridge or in areas designated for Turkish and Russian languages while entering Turkey and Russia.

Transmitting and receiving devices were used to record all broadcasts on many radio frequencies, and upon arrival in Russia, they were unloaded for analysis.

The Lloyd's List publication specifically states: "They monitored all NATO military ships and aircraft." "They had all the data. They just matched the frequencies." "They were operated by Russian, Turkish, and Indian radio operators."

They claimed that, as far as they knew, no additional equipment was returned to the vessel after it was unloaded for analysis, but other devices were placed on another linked tanker, Swiftsea Rider.

Allegations that Russia-linked commercial vessels are used for espionage and sabotage activities in the Baltic Sea, where Russia is surrounded by NATO allies, highlight the growing geopolitical tension in the region amid calls from European political leaders for increased protection of maritime infrastructure, the publication states.

The damage to the Estlink 2 cable marks the second incident of damage to vital underwater cables between NATO allies in two months, and the first case where authorities arrested a commercial vessel suspected of sabotage.

In November, the Chinese-flagged bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 was accused of weighing anchor to damage the C-Lion 1 communication cable connecting Finland and Germany.