Rough Seas

Swedish authorities seized a Bulgarian ship in the Baltic Sea Monday following an investigation into the suspected sabotage of an undersea data cable linking Sweden and Latvia a day earlier, the latest incident of damage to undersea communication networks in the region, Agence France-Presse reported.

The cable belongs to Latvia’s state radio and television organization, which reported disruptions in transmission services. However, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said the broadcaster had not lost any data, the Washington Post reported.

Baltic states are on high alert after multiple incidents in the past year involving gas pipelines, electricity, and data cables. In December, Finland seized an oil tanker suspected of damaging an undersea power line between Finland and Estonia later identified as a tanker helping Russia to evade Western sanctions and sell oil on global markets.

The Bulgarian vessel, Vezhen, is currently detained while Swedish authorities investigate. The owner told AFP the ship was carrying fertilizer from Russia to South America.

He also denied any attempt at sabotage and instead blamed the damage on less-than-favorable weather conditions combined with problems with the ship. He added that one of the anchors was broken and had dropped into the sea, possibly dragging along the sea floor and damaging the cable.

Some have blamed these incidents on Russia but investigations in the past 18 months have not uncovered any evidence.

Recently, officials from the United States and the European Union told the Post that the probes indicated the incidents were due to inexperienced crew members and poorly maintained ships, instead of acts of sabotage.

However, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said there have been too many incidents in a short period to say they were simply accidental.

In January, NATO implemented a new surveillance system in the Baltic region aimed at deterring attacks on utility infrastructure.