Swedish authorities boarded a Maltese-flagged ship seized in connection with the latest breach of cables running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea to begin an investigation into the matter, the country’s security police said on Monday.
“We can confirm that persons from Swedish authorities have been on board the vessel to carry out investigative measures,” Swedish Security Services spokesperson Johan Wikstrom said.
He declined to comment further on the investigation. The undersea cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged early on Sunday in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone, likely as a result of external influence, Latvia said. That prompted Nato to deploy patrol ships to the area and triggered a sabotage investigation by Swedish authorities.
A Swedish prosecutor ordered the seizing of a ship as part of the investigation.
MarineTraffic data showed that a coastguard vessel escorted the bulk carrier Vezhen to Swedish waters on Sunday, where it later anchored. The Vezhen, which Bulgarian shipping company Navigation Maritime Bulgare listed among its fleet, passed the fibre optic cable early on Sunday.
The head of the Bulgarian company, Captain Aleksandar Kalchev, said the Vezhen might have struck the Baltic undersea cable that was damaged on Sunday. He said one of the ship’s anchors dropped to the seabed in high winds and that there was no malicious intent.
