STOCKHOLM, October 20. /TASS/. Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation said it is focusing its investigation of damage done to the Balticconnector underwater pipeline on a Chinese ship called the Newnew Polarbear.

"The police have established in the criminal investigation that the movements of the vessel Newnew Polar Bear flying the flag of Hong Kong coincide with the time and place of the gas pipeline damage. For this reason, the investigation is now focused on the role of the said vessel," the agency said in a statement.

The police said they will cooperate with Chinese authorities in the course of the investigation.

The statement also said that, "The investigation has confirmed that the damage has been caused by an external mechanical force, and based on current knowledge there is no reason to believe the damage has been caused by an explosion."

"A recently formed huge clump of soil containing probably an extremely heavy object has been found in the seabed," the statement went on to say.

Finnish police earlier said the vessel sailed close to the area of the gas pipeline incident at the time when it happened.

The undersea pipeline between Finland and Estonia has suspended operation due to a suspected leak. Finnish authorities told a press conference on October 10 that the damage on the pipeline, discovered in the early morning hours of October 9, was likely the result of outside activity. An investigator said that the place of the rupture was in the central part of the Gulf of Finland, within Finland's economic zone.