Swedish authorities have seized a ship, the Vezhen, suspected of damaging an underwater cable in the Baltic Sea. The ship, which sails under the Maltese flag and is registered to a Bulgarian shipping company, was boarded by Sweden’s coast guard on Sunday over allegations of sabotage.
The damage was believed to have affected the fiber optic cable connecting Latvia and Sweden. The operator of the cable indicated that there were reasons to suspect the damage was caused by external factors, prompting Swedish prosecutors to open a preliminary investigation into the suspected sabotage.
The vessel involved is identified as the Vezhen, a bulk carrier registered to a Bulgarian shipping company, with eight Bulgarian officers and nine Myanmar sailors aboard. Two days before the incident, the ship had left the Russian port of Ust-Luga, heading toward South America while carrying a cargo of fertilizers.
Aleksandar Kalchev, the head of the Bulgarian shipping company, Navigation Maritime Bulgare, acknowledged that it was possible the ship was responsible for the cable damage. However, he denied any sabotage, explaining that the ship’s anchor may have been accidentally dropped during severe weather conditions on Saturday. The crew reportedly woke up to find the anchor dragging along the seabed.
