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Newnew Polar Bear captain arrested in Hong Kong over Baltic Sea cable break

Wan Wenguo, the 43-year-old captain of the Hong Kong-flagged containership NewNew Polar Bear, was detained in Hong Kong on May 8, 2025, and charged with damaging the Balticconnector gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable.
The charges stem from an incident on October 8, 2023, when the ship operating in the Gulf of Finland broke the pipeline by dragging its anchor during a voyage from October to December 2023 amid a Finland-Estonia investigation.
Wan faces a charge of criminal damage along with two allegations related to breaches of navigation safety regulations, including inadequate anchor maintenance and failure to provide the ship’s owner with the required daily updates.
Repairing the 77-kilometer Balticconnector pipeline cost €35 million, and the investigation remains ongoing with cooperation between Finnish, Estonian, Chinese, and Hong Kong authorities.
Wan remains in custody with a July hearing scheduled to allow further inquiries, while the incident highlights rising Baltic Sea security concerns and increased NATO maritime patrols in the region.

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The Maritime Executive

Center

Captain Appears in Hong Kong Court on Charges From 2023 Pipeline Break

In what appears to be a surprise development in the two-year-old case related to the damage of a gas pipeline in the Baltic, China on Thursday charged the captain of the containership suspected in the incident with a criminal charge related to the incident. The South China Morning Post reported the development saying that the captain of the containership Newnew Polar Bear was taken into custody in Hong Kong after appearing in court. The 43-year-…

2 days ago

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Eesti Rahvusringhääling

Center

Newnew Polar Bear captain arrested in Hong Kong over Baltic Sea cable break

The captain of the Hong Kong-flagged container ship accused of breaking the undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia has been remanded in custody in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reports.

3 days ago·Estonia

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yle

Center

Media: Newnew Polar Bear captain arrested in China on suspicion of Gulf of Finland gas pipeline crime – KRP silent

The Newnew Polar Bear vessel is suspected of damaging the Balticconnector and several telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland in the fall of 2023. The captain is suspected of being responsible in China.

3 days ago·Finland

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大纪元 Epoch Times

Two years ago, a Chinese ship was suspected of damaging an undersea pipeline. The captain appeared in court in Hong Kong | Baltic Pipeline

The captain of a Chinese cargo ship suspected of sabotaging a Baltic gas pipeline two years ago appeared in a Hong Kong court. Wan Wenguo, 43, faces one charge of criminal damage and two charges related to operating the vessel in violation of maritime regulations.

1 day ago

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