Finland jails captain and boatswain over cable damage

A Finnish court has sentenced the captain and boatswain of the cargo ship Fitburg to prison over an incident that damaged two undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland on December 31, 2025. The court found that both men knew the ship was moving with its anchor down but allowed the voyage to continue. The Maritime Executive reported.

 

MV Fitburg left Saint Petersburg on December 30, 2025, with its anchor raised. However, the anchor was lowered before the ship left Russian waters. It then dragged along the seabed for about 130 km over several hours. During this time, it damaged two telecommunications cables linking Finland and Estonia. It also passed over seven other telecommunications and power cables and a gas pipeline, putting them at risk.

 

Finnish authorities identified the ship after the cable damage was reported and ordered it to raise its anchor. However, MV Fitburg continued sailing with the anchor down for about two more hours, until Finnish officials stopped the vessel and raised the anchor.

 

The court sentenced Captain Andrei Maksimenko, 57, to three years and six months in prison. Boatswain Vusal Majidov, 48, received a sentence of two years and 10 months.

 

The two men were also ordered to pay €1.9 million in damages. The captain must pay €85,000 more because of his role as master. Both men were ordered to start serving their sentences immediately.

 

Picture: Wolfgang Berthel / Marine Traffic