Alsharq Tribune - DPA
A suspicious ship with a Russian crew has been detained in Norway after the latest incidence of cable damage in the Baltic Sea.
The Silver Dania is suspected of being involved in damaging a fibre optic cable between Latvia and Sweden, the police in the city of Tromsø in northern Norway said on Friday.
As a result, it was brought to the city's port at the request of the Latvian authorities, they said. The police are currently on board the ship to conduct searches, interrogations and to secure evidence.
The ship is registered in Norway, the police said, and has a Norwegian owner but operates between the Russian cities of St Petersburg and Murmansk. The entire crew is also Russian, they said.
The Latvian police confirmed, upon request, that they have made a request for mutual legal assistance and are working closely with the Norwegian law enforcement authorities. They did not want to provide further details due to the ongoing investigations.
Another ship already detained by Sweden
Following a series of similar incidents in the Baltic Sea, damage occurred last Sunday to a data cable between the Swedish island of Gotland and the port city of Ventspils in Latvia, which is used by the Latvian Broadcasting and Television Centre (LVRTC).
Subsequently, the Swedish authorities detained another ship with a Bulgarian owner and launched investigations into possible serious sabotage. The owner has denied any sabotage allegations.
The Silver Dania is said to have passed the cable at about the same time. A representative of its shipping company told the Norwegian newspaper Fiskeribladet: "We have done nothing wrong." They also stated that no anchor was dropped at that time.
