Hong Kong court to call 18 witnesses over Baltic Sea cable damage case against ship’s captain
Written by: James Pomfret and Anne Kauranen
HONG KONG, Jan 20 (Reuters) – A lawyer for the Chinese captain of a Hong Kong-registered ship that allegedly damaged undersea cables in the Baltic Sea said 18 witnesses will be called to testify in the case on Tuesday.
Wan Wenguo, the captain of the Newnew Polar Bear container ship, allegedly caused “criminal” damage to the underwater natural gas pipeline and undersea telecom cables between Finland and Estonia on October 8, 2023, according to the Hong Kong charge sheet reviewed by Reuters.
The Baltic Sea region has been on high alert for sabotage following a series of disruptions to power cables, gas pipelines and telecommunications since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
But Scandinavian and Baltic authorities have difficulty proving intent and convicting anyone of these events.
Wan, 43, appeared in court in Hong Kong on Tuesday, but his lawyer Jerry Chung said more time was needed to review documents before entering a defence. The case was postponed to February 11.
Chung told reporters that 10 witnesses, including crew members, Hong Kong officials and two experts on maritime matters, would testify for the criminal damage charge. Chung added that the maximum penalty is two years in prison.
The indictment stated that Wan acted “carelessly” and “damaged property belonging to another person without a legal excuse.”
DAMAGE TO BALTICCONNECTOR PIPELINE
Finland highly sought Chinese support in the investigation; Finnish President Alexander Stubb raised the issue with China’s Xi Jinping during his official visit to Beijing in 2024.
In May 2025, Finnish police said the investigation was ongoing in cooperation with Chinese authorities and concluded that damage to the Balticconnector, an undersea gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea, occurred because the Polar Bear ship dragged its anchor along the seabed.
Estonian police suspect that the ship also damaged telecommunications cables connecting Estonia to Finland and Sweden before crashing into the pipeline.
Its operator, Gasgrid Finland, said the cost of repairing the gas pipeline alone was 35 million euros ($41.02 million).
Wan’s lawyer did not elaborate on what damages could be claimed and from whom, and said he was unaware of any parties other than Wan being prosecuted.
Wan also faces two charges of failing to ensure the ship complies with safety requirements applicable to Hong Kong-registered ships worldwide under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
Chung said the charges include the loss of an anchor on the ship; and Wan’s failure to report daily to the cruise company. Chung added that eight more witnesses will be called for these two violations.
Wan did not apply for bail at his first hearing after his arrest last May and remained in custody.
Although the crimes did not occur in Hong Kong waters, the ship was sailing under the Hong Kong flag, placing it globally under the city’s maritime regulatory authority. Hong Kong prosecutors cooperated with Finnish and Estonian authorities in the case.
Some European governments have accused Russia of hybrid attacks and sabotaging some critical infrastructure, but Moscow has denied such allegations and said the West was “trying to undermine Russia’s interests through an information war.”
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(Reporting by James Pomfret in Hong Kong and Anne Kauranen in Helsinki; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree, Jacqueline Wong and Kate Mayberry)
