Hong Kong to call 10 witnesses in case over Baltic Sea undersea cable damage

HONG KONG, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Ten witnesses will be called to testify in a “criminal damage” case against a Chinese captain of a Hong Kong-registered ship alleged to have damaged undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, his lawyer told reporters in Hong Kong after a hearing on Tuesday.

Wan Wenguo, the captain of the container ship NewNew Polar Bear, is alleged to have caused “criminal damage” to an underwater natural gas pipeline and submarine telecom cables between Finland and Estonia on October 8, 2023, according to a Hong Kong charge sheet reviewed by Reuters.

Wan appeared in court on Tuesday but his lawyer said more time was needed to go through documents before entering a plea.

The case has been adjourned to February 11.

(Reporting by James Pomfret; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree and Jacqueline Wong)