Ship Detained In Baltic Sea Over Suspected Sabotage Of Undersea Data Cable

Cargo Ship — Image for representation purposes only

Swedish prosecutors announced on Sunday night that they opened a preliminary investigation into suspected aggravated “sabotage” after a fibre optic cable connecting Latvia to Sweden’s Gotland Island, was damaged in the Baltic Sea.

The cable was ruptured earlier that day.

The Swedish Coast Guard confirmed it had detained a ship, identified as the Malta-flagged vessel Vezhen, which was anchored near Karlskrona. Authorities suspect the ship was involved in damaging the cable.

Mattias Lindholm, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard, stated they were closely monitoring the situation with the detained ship.

Tracking data from Vesselfinder shows that the Vezhen departed from the Russian port of Ust-Luga several days before the damage occurred and was in the area between Gotland and Latvia when the cable rupture was suspected.

Latvia’s state-run radio and TV centre reported that they had detected disruptions in data transmission along the cable running from Ventspils, Latvia to Gotland, Sweden. After investigation, they confirmed that the cable had been ruptured.

The rupture has caused major disruptions in data transmission. However, they were able to continue operating through alternative data transmission routes, and work was underway to repair the damaged cable.

Vineta Sprugaine, head of corporate communications at LVRTC, stated that there was a strong belief that the cable was severely damaged and that external influences were likely responsible for the damage.

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina confirmed that the Latvian government is working closely with Swedish authorities and NATO to investigate the incident.

She wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the investigation includes patrolling the area, inspecting ships that were in the region, and closely monitoring the situation.

Meanwhile, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that at least one cable owned by a “Latvian entity” had been damaged and that he had been in close contact with Prime Minister Silina throughout the day on Sunday.

There have been similar cases of damage to undersea cables over the past year in the Baltic Sea. Many have been linked to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”, a group of aging, unregistered tankers believed to be evading sanctions and involved in unlawful activities like smuggling oil.

Earlier this month, NATO launched a new initiative called “Baltic Sentry,” designed to enhance the protection of undersea cables and pipelines in the region.

The mission includes the deployment of warships, maritime patrol aircraft, and naval drones to provide improved surveillance and deterrence against threats to critical infrastructure.

References: BBC, AP News

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