Sister ships of wanted runaway carrier NewNew Polar Bear are heading toward European waters

The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation shortly after the burst of the pipeline in October 2023 concluded that the Newnew Polar Bear was to blame for the damage to the underwater infrastructure.

The 169 meter long Hong Kong-registered container carrier had sailed over the pipeline on the 8th of October, day of the damage, and the ship was later spotted with one of its anchors missing. The investigators also found the same type of paint on the anchor and the damaged pipeline.

Finnish police said it would have arrested the ship had it not been in international waters.

The NewNew Polar Bear had crisscrossed between Russian ports in St.Petersburg and Kaliningrad, and Finnish and Estonian authorities suspected it of sabotage. The suspicions were strengthened by the quick escape of the ship.

By late October, the Chinese ship had made it to the north Russian port of Arkhangelsk, and it soon later sailed across the Kara Sea and all along the Russian Arctic coast towards the Pacific.

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As it was waiting for icebreaker escort, the ship operator changed name and obtained a special permission for sailing on the Northern Sea Route. It was escorted by a Russian state-owned icebreaker as it sailed eastwards along the North Siberian coast towards the Bering Strait and into Pacific waters.

Chinese authorities now admit that the Newnew Polar Bear is to blame for the damage in the Gulf of Finland, but argue that it all was an accident. According to the South China Morning Post, the Chinese government have passed on relevant findings to both Finland and Estonia.

Communications director for Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) Anna Zareff told Estonian newspaper ERR that the investigation is still ongoing.

She underlines that final conclusions are still to be made. “This will take some time,” she explained.

According to ship registry information from the Russian Northern Sea Route Administration, the NewNew Polar Bear was in 2023 operated by the Chinese company Hainan Xin Xin Yang Shipping Co, Ltd. Later that same year, the name was changed to Torgmoll, a Chinese transport and logistics company with strong connections to Russian business interests.

In 2024, the apparent owner of the NewNew Polar Bear is a company named Hainan Xin Xin Yang Shipping Co, Ltd.

The company is now sending several vessels into Russian Arctic waters. Among them are the Xin Xin Hai-1, the Xin Xin Hai-2 and Xin Xin Shan.

The latter two are currently on their way from China to Arkhangelsk, the northwest Russian port.

Like with the NewNew Polar Bear, the three sister vessels also appear closely connected with Torgmoll. In the registry of the Northern Sea Route Administration, the Xin Xin Shan is registered under both Torgmoll and the Hainan Xin Xin Yang Shipping Co, Ltd.

According to Torgmoll’s website, the company is specialising on logistics between China and Europe, and is keenly interested in developing Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

As reported by the Barents Observer in late 2023, the company is represented with a member in the Russian-Chinese Business Forum, and is headed by Yelena V. Maksimova.

Judging from a Russian business registry, Maksimova is connected with Ke Jin, a representative of the NewNew Shipping Line in Russia.

The Chinese company continues its cooperation with state nuclear power company Rosatom. During the St.Petersburg Economic Forum in July this year, a cooperation agreement was signed between Rosatom and the Hainan Yangpu NewNew Shipping Co. Ltd.

According to the agreement, the Chinese company will conduct 12 shipments on the Northern Sea Route in the course of August 2024.