Norwegian Ship Seized in Baltic Sea Cable Damage Investigation

In a developing investigation, Norwegian police have seized a Norwegian ship with an all-Russian crew suspected of involvement in causing damage to a telecoms cable in the Baltic Sea. This comes as the second vessel to be named by investigators in the case, following the seizure of a Maltese-flagged cargo ship earlier.

The Silver Dania cargo ship was seized at the request of Latvian authorities, with the assistance of Norway’s coast guard, in the city of Tromsoe. Authorities suspect the ship of being involved in serious damage to a fibre cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden.

The owner of the Silver Dania, the Silver Sea shipping group, has denied any involvement in the undersea fibre optic cable damage, according to Norwegian broadcaster TV2.

Related Incidents and Investigations

Sweden and Latvia are conducting investigations into the suspected sabotage of the cable linking the two countries. Swedish police previously seized and boarded the Maltese-flagged cargo ship Vezhen on suspicion of causing the damage. Norwegian police have indicated that the two ship seizures are linked to the same incident.

Police lawyer Ronny Joergensen stated at a press conference that there is suspicion regarding the involvement of individuals on the Silver Dania in the cable incident, although specific details were not disclosed.

Heightened Alert in the Baltic Sea Region

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Baltic Sea region has been on high alert due to a series of outages affecting power cables, telecom links, and gas pipelines. In response, the NATO military alliance has increased its presence in the region with frigates, aircraft, and naval drones.

Ship Voyage Details

The Norwegian-owned and flagged Silver Dania was en route from St. Petersburg in the Baltic Sea to Murmansk in the Russian Arctic at the time of its seizure. The owner and crew of the ship voluntarily agreed to follow a coast guard vessel to port, as confirmed by the police.

Latvia’s State Police have confirmed their involvement in requesting the arrest of the ship in Norway, indicating close cooperation with Norwegian law enforcement authorities for the ongoing investigation.

As the investigation unfolds, the head of the Bulgarian company operating the Vezhen has suggested that the ship may have inadvertently damaged the Baltic undersea cable with its anchor, denying any malicious intent.

With multiple countries involved in the investigation and ongoing developments in the case, the Baltic Sea cable damage incident continues to attract attention and scrutiny.

Source: Reuters – Reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo, Johan Ahlander in Stockholm, and Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Editing by Stine Jacobsen and Emelia Sithole-Matarise