Sweden releases suspected ship, says cable break ‘clearly’ not sabotage

The Swedish Prosecution Authority (SPA) announced on Monday it was releasing a cargo ship that had been suspected of sabotaging a communications cable in the Baltic Sea, explaining that its investigators were now ruling out an act of sabotage.

“The investigation concerning a cable break between Sweden and Latvia in the Baltic Sea has clarified that it is not a case of gross sabotage. Therefore, a decision has been made to lift the seizure of the ship suspected of being involved in the cable break,” the authority stated.

In an incident on January 26, the Vezhen, a cargo ship, was suspected to have damaged a cable owned by the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre (LVRTC) running between the Latvian city of Ventspils and the Swedish island of Gotland. It was subsequently seized by an elite armed police unit, which boarded via helicopter to secure interviews with the crew and any evidentiary material from the ship itself.

“The investigation now clearly shows that it is not a case of sabotage. It has been established that a combination of weather conditions and deficiencies in equipment and seamanship contributed to the cable break. The investigation has been systematic and thorough in order to clarify the incident,” said senior prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist at the SPA’s National Security Unit.

Following the Swedish authorities’ interrogations of the crew, alongside crime scene investigations and analysis of seized material, Ljungqvist said: “We can say with certainty that this is not a case of sabotage.”

The SPA was however able to establish that the Vezhen was the cause of the cable break, which might bode well for the release of the Silver Dania, a Russian-crewed vessel seized by Norway last week following a request from Latvian police.

The investigation was conducted by Sweden’s Security Service (SÄPO) although a number of other authorities contributed under the leadership of Ljungqvist who said he “would particularly like to highlight the Coast Guard and the Police Authority as well as the Armed Forces” for their cooperation.

Sweden had seized the Vezhen over the cable break amid heightened concern regarding disruptions to subsea infrastructure in the wake of another incident in the Baltic Sea on Christmas Day, when a ship dragged its anchor for almost 100 kilometers (62 miles) severing a number of cables.

Authorities in Finland have seized that ship, the Eagle S, after it was boarded by armed officers via helicopter, and said last week they suspect the damage was done intentionally. Those comments followed reports citing anonymous intelligence officials that the cable breakages were assessed to be accidents rather than acts of sabotage.

The Eagle S remains in Finnish custody. 

Despite the release of the Vezhen, Sweden's Prosecution Authority said it “is still continuing to determine whether there are other crimes that can be suspected in connection with the cable break.”