For more than a week, a Chinese commercial ship has apparently been forced to anchor in the Baltic Sea, surrounded and monitored by naval and coast guard vessels from European countries as the authorities attempt to unravel a maritime mystery.

一个多星期以来，一艘中国商船显然被迫停泊在了波罗的海上，受到欧洲国家海军和海岸警卫队船只的包围和监视，而欧洲当局正试图解开一个海上谜团。

The development arose after two undersea fiber-optic cables were severed under the sea, and investigators from a task force that includes Finland, Sweden and Lithuania are trying to determine if the ship’s crew intentionally cut the cables by dragging the ship’s anchor along the sea floor.

该事件是在两条海底光缆在海底被切断后发生的，这艘船的船员是否故意通过在海底拖拽船锚、切断电缆，由芬兰、瑞典和立陶宛组成的一个特别工作组的调查人员正在努力弄明白这一点。

On Wednesday, the Swedish police announced that the inquiry into the episode had concluded but that an investigation was ongoing. Sweden did not release any initial findings.

周三，瑞典警方宣布，针对该事件的问讯已经结束，但调查仍在进行中。瑞典没有公布任何初步调查结果。

American intelligence officials had assessed that the cables were not cut deliberately, though the authorities in Europe say they have not been able to rule out sabotage.

美国情报官员曾评估说，这些电缆不是被故意切断的，不过欧洲当局表示，他们还不能排除蓄意破坏的可能性。

“The preliminary investigation was initiated because it cannot be ruled out that the cables were deliberately damaged,” Per Engström, the superintendent of the Swedish police, said in a statement on Wednesday. “The current classification of the crime is sabotage, though this may change.”

“启动初步调查是因为不能排除电缆被蓄意损坏的可能性，”瑞典警方负责人佩尔·恩斯特伦在周三的声明中表示。“目前的犯罪定性是蓄意破坏，但这可能会改变。”

Denmark has said it is in “ongoing dialogue” with various countries, including China.

丹麦表示，正与包括中国在内的多个国家进行“持续对话”。

The mystery of the severed cable and who is to blame comes as Europe is increasingly on edge after a number of apparent sabotage operations, including arson attacks, vandalism and physical assaults. Many of these have been attributed to Russian intelligence operatives, including a plot that emerged last month, Western officials say, to put incendiary devices on cargo planes.

欧洲此前经历了一系列明显的破坏行动（包括纵火袭击、故意破坏和人身攻击），如今变得日益紧张。电缆被切断之谜乃至随后的追责正是发生在这样的背景下。西方官员说，此前许多破坏都被认为是俄罗斯情报人员所为，包括上个月在货机上放置燃烧装置的阴谋。

The case surrounding the commercial ship in the Baltic Sea is somewhat different. That ship — a bulk carrier called the Yi Peng 3 — travels under a Chinese flag. The ship, owned by Ningbo Yipeng Shipping Co. Ltd., set off from the Russian port of Ust-Luga in the Baltic Sea on Nov. 15, according to Marine Traffic, a commercial ship tracking agency. From there, it traveled nearly the full length of the Baltic Sea.

波罗的海这艘商船的情况有些不同。它是一艘散货船，名为“伊鹏三号”，悬挂中国国旗。据商业船舶跟踪机构“海上交通”称，这艘船属于宁波伊鹏海运有限公司，于11月15日从波罗的海的俄罗斯乌斯特-卢加港出发。从那里，它几乎穿过了整个波罗的海。

The first cable connecting Lithuania and Sweden was cut on the morning of Nov. 17. The second one, connecting Finland and Germany, was cut the following morning. The damage disrupted some data transfers but did not cut internet connections in any of the countries, the authorities said.

连接立陶宛和瑞典的第一条电缆于11月17日上午被切断。连接芬兰和德国的第二条电缆于次日上午被切断。当局表示，这次破坏中断了一些数据传输，但没有切断任何国家的互联网连接。

Now, investigators are sifting through analyses as ships from nearby countries are patrolling near the Chinese ship.

目前，调查人员正在对分析结果进行筛选，与此同时，附近国家的船只也在中国船只附近巡逻。

On Nov. 19, a Danish Navy patrol ship followed and later stopped Yi Peng 3, ship tracking data show. Since then, the Chinese ship has been anchored at that position, in the Kattegat Strait, which connects the Baltic and the North Seas, with a Danish patrol vessel nearby.

船舶跟踪数据显示，11月19日，一艘丹麦海军巡逻舰跟踪并随后拦截了伊鹏三号。从那以后，这艘中国船只一直停泊在连接波罗的海和北海的卡特加特海峡的那个位置，附近有一艘丹麦巡逻舰。

In the week since, tracking data show, German Coast Guard vessels and warships, as well as more Danish naval vessels, have sailed to the vicinity. Most stayed for one or two days, then left and were replaced by other ships.

跟踪数据显示，自那以来的一周，德国海岸警卫队的船只和军舰，以及更多丹麦海军船只驶往附近海域。大多数船只停留一到两天，然后离开，由其他船只代替。

On Wednesday, satellite imagery and tracking data showed that the Chinese ship was flanked by a German Coast Guard and a Danish naval patrol ship, which were both about one mile away. In the evening, two German warships also sailed past the Yi Peng 3.

周三，卫星图像和跟踪数据显示，这艘中国船只被一艘德国海岸警卫队巡逻船和一艘丹麦海军巡逻船包围，两者都在中国船只约1.6公里之外。晚上，两艘德国军舰也驶过了伊鹏三号。

At one point on Wednesday morning, ship-tracking data show, a Danish naval vessel sailed past the Yi Peng 3 within about 100 feet of the ship.

船舶跟踪数据显示，周三上午，一艘丹麦海军舰艇在距离“伊鹏三号”约30米的地方驶过。

According to a vessel database, a company called Win Enterprise Ship Management (Ningbo) Co., Ltd. manages Yi Peng 3’s safety protocols. Ningbo Yipeng is registered as the ship’s owner and manager. Attempts to reach Ningbo Yipeng were not successful late Wednesday.

根据船舶数据库，一家名为Win Enterprise Ship Management (Ningbo) Co., Ltd.的公司负责伊鹏三号的安全管理。宁波伊鹏注册为船东和管理人。记者周三晚间未能联系到宁波伊鹏。

This is not the first time that a Chinese-flagged ship has been suspected of involvement in an episode of this sort in the Baltic Sea. Last year, a ship called the Newnew Polar Bear dropped its anchor and cut through a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia. In that instance, the authorities allowed the ship to enter international waters and avoid capture, a mistake that officials said they tried to avoid with the Yi Peng 3.

在波罗的海，悬挂中国国旗的船只被怀疑卷入此类事件并非首次。去年，一艘名为“新新北极熊号”的船抛锚，切断了芬兰和爱沙尼亚之间的天然气管道。那一次，当局让这艘船进入了国际水域，从而得以避免被捕获。官员们表示，在伊鹏三号事件中，他们试图避免这样的错误。

“It’s totally without question that if critical infrastructure of some countries has been destroyed or seriously damaged, and we have to find out who did it, there cannot be a situation in which one simply walks away from the scene,” Finland’s defense minister, Antti Häkkänen, said after the fiber-optic cables were cut this month.

芬兰国防部长安蒂·哈卡宁在本月光纤电缆被切断后表示，“毫无疑问，如果一些国家的关键基础设施遭到破坏或严重破坏，我们必须找出罪魁祸首，不能让当事者一走了之。”