The ministry said that Finland contacted China to seek assistance to establish a contact with the Newnew Polar Bear ship, a vessel that it a part of the investigation.
Balticconnector was shut down early on October 8 after a sudden drop in pressure raised concerns that gas was leaking from the 48-mile undersea pipeline, which has an annual capacity of up to 2.6 billion cubic meters. Pipeline operator Gasgrid Finland said the pipeline appeared to have been damaged.
On October 11, Finnish police spokesman Mikko Simola said that some external traces had been detected on the seabed near the site where Balticconnector was damaged, adding that the Central Finland Police Department was investigating the matter together with colleagues from Estonia. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said his ministry had received photo and video footage of the damage, which suggested the pipeline had been pulled from one side and dragged. The authorities reportedly cannot rule out that the pipeline was damaged by an anchor.