Cargo Ship Vezhen Cleared of Sabotage in Baltic Sea Cable Incident

The cargo ship Vezhen was found to have accidentally damaged a subsea cable between Sweden and Latvia. Despite initial suspicions, the Swedish prosecutor confirmed no sabotage. Investigations revealed weather conditions and equipment deficiencies were responsible. The Baltic Sea remains vigilant due to recent infrastructure outages since the Ukraine conflict.

A Swedish prosecutor has confirmed that the damage caused to a subsea cable linking Sweden and Latvia by the cargo ship Vezhen was accidental. The Maltese-flagged ship, suspected in the incident that occurred on January 26, has subsequently been released from any allegations of sabotage.

The incident sparked an investigation into multiple vessels in recent months, with authorities seizing the Silver Dania, a Norwegian ship with an all-Russian crew, before clearing it of any wrongdoing. Swedish authorities boarded the Vezhen after the incident within Sweden's exclusive economic zone.

While it is concluded that the Vezhen was responsible for the damage, the investigation continues to ascertain any additional legal violations. Contributing factors include adverse weather conditions and equipment deficiencies. This incident comes amidst heightened surveillance in the Baltic Sea following several infrastructure outages since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

(With inputs from agencies.)