The Chinese authorities reported that the anchor of the Hong Kong-flagged ship NewNew Polar Bear was responsible for breaking the pipeline.

[5][6] The offshore part is operated jointly by Elering and Baltic Connector, while onshore sections of the pipeline will be developed separately by each party.

[5] Originally, there was also a proposal for alternative 140-kilometre (87 mi) long route from Vuosaari (district of Helsinki) to Paldiski.

[11] The project was proposed originally by the Finnish natural gas company Gasum in cooperation with Eesti Gaas of Estonia.

In 2010, the European Commission financed the investigation of possibilities to create more diversified natural gas grid within the Baltic Sea Region, which included also the Balticconnector project.

The ceremony was attended by Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure of Estonia Kadri Simson, Minister of the Environment and Energy of Finland Kimmo Tiilikainen, European Commission member Jyrki Katainen and the managers of Elering and Baltic Connector Oy.

The ceremonies were attended by presidents of Estonia and Finland Kersti Kaljulaid and Sauli Niinistö, ministers of economy Taavi Aas and Mika Lintilä, Deputy Director-General of European Commission Energy Directorate Klaus-Dieter Borchardt and the managers of Elering and Baltic Connector Oy.

Past supply to the Balticconnector was from Russia but from 2023 LSEG data showed the shipping terminals at Klaipėda and Ingå favoured gas from the United States and Norway.

[27] On 10 October 2023, the Finnish government announced that the damage to the pipeline may have been deliberate and caused by "external activity".

[26] Norwegian seismological institute NORSAR reported that it detected a "probable explosion" 40 km north of Paldiski (roughly where Balticconnector and Nord Stream intersect) on the 8 October at 01:20 local time.

A Finnish member of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats suggested that one possibility was that a ship's anchor had dragged over the pipeline.

[37][38][39] On 12 August 2024 the Chinese government admitted the incident was the fault of NewNew Shipping Line "by accident" caused by "a strong storm".

[3] Estonia's president, Alar Karis, demanded answers on how the incident could have taken place, stating, "We know that the cause is not nature, but probably human activity.

"[30] In Finland, the government suggested that "everything indicates" that the Chinese ship damaged the pipeline on purpose with its Minister of European Affairs Anders Adlercreutz saying it's hard to believe that it was not intentional or done without Beijing's knowledge.