A vessel owned by Norwegian interests and manned by a Russian crew was detained off the coast of Norway amid concerns about its potential involvement in the damage of an underwater fiber optic cable that links Latvia with Gotland, a Swedish island. According to police reports, the ship, named Silver Dania, was halted on Thursday evening and subsequently escorted into Tromsø port by a Norwegian coast guard ship early Friday for further inspection. This action followed a request from Latvian officials in conjunction with a ruling from a Norwegian court.
Authorities are investigating suspicions that the Silver Dania may have been connected to significant cable damage that was discovered last weekend in the Baltic Sea while the ship was en route between Russian ports, St. Petersburg and Murmansk. While specific details regarding the investigation have not been disclosed, police confirmed they are thoroughly inspecting the vessel and conducting interviews with its crew.
Tormod Fossmark, CEO of SilverSea, the company that operates the Silver Dania, refuted claims that the ship had caused any damage in the vicinity of the cable. He stated that the company is cooperating with officials regarding what they view as a serious incident. Fossmark emphasized their innocence by saying, “We have no involvement in this whatsoever. We did not have any anchors out or do anything, so that will be confirmed today,” as part of the investigation. He also pointed out that the ship’s tracking information did not indicate any anomalies during its journey.
Fossmark expressed hope that the Silver Dania, which was not loaded with cargo on Friday, would soon be cleared to continue its voyage. Damage to the fiber optics cable running from Ventspils, Latvia, to Gotland was first detected on Sunday, leading to a preliminary investigation by Swedish prosecutors into possible sabotage. On the same day, they ordered the detention of another vessel, the Malta-flagged Vezhen, which is suspected of having caused the damage. The owner of the Vezhen, who is Bulgarian, acknowledged the possibility of an accidental cable break but firmly dismissed any notion of foul play or wrongdoing on the part of the crew.
