Finnish authorities have cleared the crew of the cargo vessel Fitburg of any sanctions violations, after inspections of the ship and its cargo.
Authorities suspect the Fitburg was involved in the most recent Baltic Sea cable damage incident, which occurred on New Year's Eve.
The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, Traficom, completed an inspection of the vessel, identifying ten minor deficiencies.
It said none of the shortcommings posed a risk to the ship or its crew. They were related to fire safety, emergency preparedness, safe engine-room operations, and general maintenance. The crew has begun addressing the issues.
"The ship was in an appropriate condition for its age and, from a maritime safety perspective, it can continue its voyage once the deficiencies have been rectified," Sanna Sonninen, maritime director at Traficom, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Finnish Customs has concluded its own probe. While the steel cargo aboard the Fitburg falls under Russian sanctions, Customs will not pursue a criminal investigation.
This is because the ship entered Finnish waters at the request of Finnish authorities. That in turn means the crew cannot be deemed to have intentionally brought sanctioned goods into Finland.
Customs said it will release the cargo on the condition that it is removed from Finland.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is meanwhile conducting a preliminary investigation into the incident, which is expected to take several weeks.
