Yi Peng 3
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into 2024 Baltic Sea submarine cable disruptions. (Discuss) |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Builder | HD Hyundai Samho |
| Launched | 2001 |
| Homeport | Ningbo |
| Identification | MMSI number: 414270000 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Dry Bulk Carrier |
| Displacement | 75,121 dwt |
| Length | 224.97 m (738 ft 1 in) |
| Beam | 32.25 m (105 ft 10 in) |
| Draught | 14.15 m (46 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion | 1 x Hyundai diesel engine |
| Speed | 14.8 knots (27.4 km/h; 17.0 mph) |
Yi Peng 3 (Chinese: 伊鹏3[1]; pinyin: Yī Péng Sān) originally named Leda and later Avra is a 2001 HD Hyundai Samho-built Chinese bulk carrier.
History, 2001-2024
The ship was built in 2001. It has been owned since 2016 by Ningbo Yipeng Shipping Co., Ltd. in Ningbo, Zhejiang and was renamed to Yi Peng 3.
Baltic Sea voyage, November 2024
The Yi Peng 3 left the port of Ust-Luga, Russia, on 15 November with a load of fertilizer,[2] a week prior to the cables being damaged. The ship is under investigation for possibly cutting through the submarine cable that linked Sweden and Lithuania, and within twenty-four hours also severing the cable between Finland and Germany, which is the only cable linking the two countries. The Yi Peng 3 was identified at both scenes, and by the time it reached the Great Belt strait, the Royal Danish Navy started following the ship.[3] On 19 November 2024, after passing the Øresund, the ship contacted Danish authorities and requested to anchor in the Kattegat at the position, where it stayed for the next weeks, outside Danemarks Territorial waters but inside Danemarks economic zone. Therefore investigators can only board the vessel with Chinese approval.[4]
Investigators, quoted by the Wall Street Journal, suspected the crew of the ship had dropped one of its anchors while the engines still propelled the vessel forward, resulting in the anchor ploughing through the seabed over 100 miles (160 km) and cutting the cables. An anchor of the ship showed damage consistent with this idea.[5]
As a response to the theory published in the Wall Street Journal, Naval journalist Tom Sharpe argued in the The Daily Telegraph that this scenario was unlikely, since a normal anchor was too heavy and offered too much resistance to be dragged around at the seven knots speed Yi Peng 3 was travelling at the time, according to the Automatic identification system (AIS) data. He suggested a falsification of the AIS data, the use of a different device to cut the cables or a scenario in which the Yi Peng 3 had nothing to do with destroyed cables.[6]
References
- ^ "Finnish authorities open probe into ruptured undersea cable between Finland and Germany". The Seattle Times. The Associated Press. 20 November 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ Amir Daftari and John Feng: "Chinese Vessel Allegedly Drags Anchor, Severs Undersea Cable Links", newsweek.com, 27 November 2024
- ^ jcookson (2024-11-21). "Suspected sabotage by a Chinese vessel in the Baltic Sea speaks to a wider threat". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ "Yi Peng 3 kontaktede forsvarsenhed og bad om ankerplads i Kattegat" www.ikast-brandenyt.dk, 30 November 2024
- ^ Bojan Pancevski: "Chinese Ship’s Crew Suspected of Deliberately Dragging Anchor for 100 Miles to Cut Baltic Cables", Wall Street Journal, 29 November 2024
- ^ Tom Sharpe: "A Chinese ship is in the frame for the latest seabed cable breaks. Here’s what I think" telegraph.co.uk 29 November 2024