Finland's public transport agency said on Wednesday that an oil tanker suspected of damaging undersea cables in the Baltic Sea was found to have serious deficiencies and will not be allowed to operate until repairs have been made.

Finland's national power grid operator said on Thursday it had asked a Helsinki court to seize the Eagle S oil tanker in a bid to secure the company's claim for damages related to the breakdown of the undersea Estlink 2 electricity interconnector.

The anchor of the Eagle S oil tanker has been recovered from the bed of the Baltic Sea during an inquiry into the ship's possible involvement in sabotage of maritime energy and communication cables. The EU says the tanker belongs to the so-called Russian shadow fleet.