Finnish Customs: The cargo of the vessel Fitburg consisted of sanctioned steel products
In connection with the cable damage incident on Wednesday, 31 December 2025, the cargo vessel Fitburg was intercepted by the Police and the Border Guard. Following initial inquiries, the vessel was brought to port on the evening of 31 December 2025. As Fitburg and its crew had failed to submit the legally required notifications to authorities concerning the vessel and its cargo, Customs decided to carry out a ship inspection of the vessel upon its arrival at the port.
Preliminary information indicated that the cargo consisted of steel products originating in Russia, which are subject to extensive sanctions imposed on Russia. Consequently, Customs decided to detain the goods carried as cargo prior to the ship inspection, in order to verify compliance with EU import requirements.
On Wednesday, 31 December 2025, Customs conducted a ship inspection of the vessel Fitburg, suspected of involvement in the cable damage incident. The inspection commenced at 16:55 and was concluded at 21:10. At the start of the inspection, the vessel’s captain was informed of the detention of the cargo. Customs carried out a structural inspection of the ship and examined the goods carried as cargo. The inspection included examination of the cargo holds and deck structures.
Based on the cargo documentation and the inspection findings, the goods were identified as structural steel. According to the assessment of experts at Finnish Customs, the structural steel in question falls under the EU’s sectoral sanctions. Import of such sanctioned goods into the EU is prohibited under EU sanctions regulations.
Finnish Customs continues to investigate the sequence of events and the applicability of EU sanctions legislation to this case. The goods remain detained pending clarification of import requirements. Furthermore, Finnish Customs has decided to initiate a preliminary inquiry with a view to launching a pre-trial investigation into a potential sanctions violation. This inquiry will be conducted urgently and without delay. The Office of the Prosecutor General has been informed of the initiation of the preliminary inquiry.
Finnish Customs is cooperating and exchanging information with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, the Police and the Border Guard, and, where necessary, with other national and foreign authorities.
Finnish Customs will publish more information on this matter no later than next week, or earlier if new information becomes available.