Norway has detained a ship with a Russian crew for allegedly damaging an undersea cable between Latvia and Sweden

Norwegian authorities have detained a ship crewed by Russians amid suspicions of its involvement in significant damage to a fiber optic cable in the Baltic Sea, situated between Latvia and Sweden.

The Troms Police in northern Norway identified the vessel, named Silver Dania, on Thursday evening after receiving a request from Latvian officials. The ship was subsequently escorted to the port of Tromsø on Friday morning, as stated in a police announcement.

The statement indicated, “There is suspicion that the ship has been involved in serious damage to a fiber cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden. The police are conducting an operation on the ship to search, conduct interviews, and secure evidence.”

While the Silver Dania is registered and owned in Norway, the crew members are Russian nationals. The vessel was reportedly en route from St. Petersburg to Murmansk in Russia.

The owners of the Silver Dania, the Silver Sea shipping group, informed CNN that they are not implicated in the cable damage.

Tormod Fossmark, CEO of Silver Group, stated to CNN, “The investigation has been ongoing today, and we have had good cooperation with the authorities.” He also mentioned that no connections between the ship and the damaged cable have been established, and the crew has been permitted to prepare the Silver Dania for departure on Friday night.

The recent incident represents the second vessel to be detained on allegations of sabotage within the past week, following the confirmation from the Swedish Public Prosecutor’s Office on Sunday that it had boarded a ship due to suspected damage to the communications cable linking Sweden and Latvia.

Latvia has indicated that the damage is likely the result of external forces.

This occurrence is part of a series of events that have unfolded since late 2022, involving damage to Europe’s infrastructure located at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, including pipelines for natural gas and cables for electricity and data transmission.

Such incidents have become increasingly common over the last few years, leading to suspicions of sabotage and prompting numerous investigations by European authorities, with some openly attributing blame to Moscow.

Russia has refuted claims of its involvement in the sabotage of underwater cables. The Russian Embassy in London stated last week that NATO is amassing naval and air forces under the “false pretext of the ‘Russian threat.'”