China promises to help with gas pipeline probe, Finnish PM says

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has said he could ask for EU funding to repair the undersea Balticconnector pipeline, as a probe continues into the potential role of a Chinese ship in the damage.

“We have a clear picture of what has happened. Now we are cooperating with China to find the role of the Chinese ship which was in this area at the time the damage happened,” Orpo said on arrival at the European Council summit in Brussels. “They have promised to do good collaboration.”

Earlier this month, the 77-kilometer Balticconnector gas pipeline  — located in the Baltic Sea and linking NATO members Finland and Estonia — suffered from an unusual drop in pressure due to a leak. The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation found a large anchor close to the damaged pipeline, with the Chinese ship now under the investigation spotlight.

To help repair the damaged pipeline, Orpo plans to ask for EU funding for countering hybrid threats. “The EU has been closely involved in the investigation since the beginning and has offered its help and support, as has NATO,” Orpo said, according to Finnish broadcaster YLE.

The Finnish leader is also set to address the pipeline issue — which he has called “part of EU strategic energy infrastructure” — with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a bilateral meeting at the EU summit.