Sweden seizes ship suspected of damaging Baltic undersea cable

27/1/2025 12:44

The Swedish Prosecution Authority has confiscated a ship suspected of damaging un underwater fiber optic cable linking Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland, it said in a press release issued late Sunday.



A criminal investigation into suspected serious sabotage has been launched, the authority said, though it did not disclose the ship's name nor nationality.



According to Swedish newspaper Expressen, the vessel is the oil tanker Vezhen, registered in Malta and sailing from Russia. The ship is currently anchored off Karlskrona in southeastern Sweden, maritime analytics provider Marine Traffic confirmed.



The cable's owner, SJSC Latvian State Radio and Television Center (LVRTC), said they detected disruptions in data transmission early Sunday and suggested that the cable was likely seriously damaged by external force. The affected section lies within the Swedish economic zone, Swedish National Radio reported.