Norwegian police have seized a Russian-crewed ship on suspicion of being involved in causing “serious damage” to a fiber cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden. The Silver Dania ship was located by Troms Police in northern Norway following a request from Latvian authorities and brought into the port of Tromso for further investigation.
The Norwegian-registered and Norwegian-owned Silver Dania had a Russian crew on board and was sailing between St. Petersburg and Murmansk in Russia. The ship is owned by the Silver Sea shipping group, which denied any involvement in damaging the cable.
Authorities are conducting an operation on the ship to search, conduct interviews, and secure evidence related to the suspected damage to the fiber cable. Despite the ongoing investigation, no direct links connecting the ship to the damaged cable have been found so far.
This incident comes in the wake of another ship being seized last week by Swedish authorities on suspicion of damaging a communications cable between Sweden and Latvia. Latvia has attributed the damage to external forces, sparking concerns about sabotage targeting Europe’s critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
Since late 2022, there have been multiple instances of damage to underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, including pipelines for natural gas and cables for electricity and data transmission. European officials have launched investigations into these incidents, with some speculating about potential sabotage and pointing fingers at Moscow.
Despite allegations and suspicions, Russia has denied any involvement in sabotaging underwater cables. The Russian Embassy in London criticized NATO for what it called a buildup of naval and air forces under the pretext of a 'Russian threat.'
