Swedish Authorities Board Ship Seized Over Damage to Baltic Sea Cable
Swedish Authorities Board Ship Seized Over Damage to Baltic Sea Cable

By Owen Evans

Swedish authorities have boarded a Maltese-flagged ship seized in connection with a Baltic Sea cable damage probe.

On Jan. 26, Latvian authorities said that an undersea cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged early on Sunday in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone, likely as a result of “external influence.”

The military alliance NATO deployed patrol ships to the area which triggered a sabotage investigation by Swedish authorities.

A Swedish prosecutor then ordered the seizing of a ship called Vezhen as part of the investigation.

On Jan 27. Swedish Security Services spokesperson Johan Wikstrom said, “We can confirm that persons from Swedish authorities have been on board the vessel to carry out investigative measures.”

‘Significant’

On Jan. 26, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said her government was coordinating with NATO and other countries in the Baltic Sea region to clarify the circumstances surrounding the latest incident.

“We have determined that there is most likely external damage and that it is significant,” Silina told reporters following an extraordinary government meeting.

According to Marine Traffic, Vezhen, a bulk carrier built in 2022 and currently sailing under the flag of Malta, was escorted by a coastguard vessel to Swedish waters on Sunday where it later anchored.

It was not clear that the Vezhen caused any damage. The Latvian Navy said on Sunday that three ships were subject to investigation.

Swedish Navy spokesperson Jimmie Adamsson said it was too soon to say what caused the damage to the cable or whether it was intentional or a technical fault.

On Jan. 27, the Bulgarian shipping company Navigation Maritime Bulgare which owns Vezhen, posted a statement that said that it does not have information about any “intentional actions” by the crew of the ship that “could lead to such an incident.”

“According to the information we have received, this is a force majeure situation that occurred due to the unfavorable hydrometeorological conditions in the area,” it said.

It added that it supports the “authorities in the investigation and is ready to provide all necessary information in order to clarify the case.

Sea Cables

NATO Baltic Sea countries have stepped up their security following a recent spate of incidents in the region that have heightened concerns about possible Chinese and Russian activities.

On Jan. 14, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that enhanced military activity he called “Baltic Sentry,” involving a range of assets, including frigates and maritime patrol aircraft military presence, as well as fleets of naval drones, will respond to “destabilizing acts.”

On Christmas Day, Finnish police seized the Eagle S tanker carrying Russian oil, saying it suspected the vessel had dragged its anchor along the seabed, damaging the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and four telecoms cables.

Finland’s actions against the tanker showed that ships causing harm can be apprehended by law enforcement, said Rutte.

“Ship captains must understand that potential threats to our infrastructure will have consequences, including possible boarding, impounding, and arrest,” Rutte said.

Yi Peng 3

Two undersea fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged last November within 24 hours, coinciding with the movements of a Chinese 75,200-dwt (deadweight ton) bulk carrier called the Yi Peng 3.

Telia Lietuva’s 135-mile cable between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland went offline on Nov. 17 at 8 a.m. GMT, followed by the 745-mile Cinia C-Lion1 cable linking Finland and Germany, which failed on Nov. 18 at 2 a.m. GMT.

The C-Lion1 cable runs alongside the Nord Stream pipelines.

Last December, Sweden criticized China, claiming it refused to allow its main investigator on board to investigate.

“It is something the government inherently takes seriously. It is remarkable that the ship leaves without the prosecutor being given the opportunity to inspect the vessel and question the crew within the framework of a Swedish criminal investigation,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said in comments provided on Dec. 22 to the Financial Times.

The Yi Peng 3, which had been sitting idle for more than a month in international waters inside Denmark’s exclusive economic zone, sailed away from its mooring on Dec. 21.

The incidents in the Baltic Sea occurred just more than a year after the Hong Kong-registered Newnew Polar Bear container ship was suspected of damaging an Estonia–Finland gas pipeline and two undersea cables between Estonia, Finland, and Sweden.

Reuters contributed to this report.


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