SOFIA, Bulgaria — A Bulgarian shipping company has refuted claims that one of its vessels was involved in the intentional destruction of an underwater fiber optic cable that links Latvia to Gotland, Sweden.
On Sunday evening, Swedish prosecutors announced the initiation of a preliminary inquiry into potential sabotage, following the detention of the vessel in the Baltic Sea.
CEO Alexander Kalchev of Navibulgar stated in a report that while it is possible the Vezhen ship might have unintentionally caused the cable to break, he firmly rejected the idea of any deliberate act or wrongdoing by the crew.
Kalchev referenced information provided by the crew members, who indicated that the ship was navigating in severely adverse weather conditions late Sunday. They later realized that the left anchor was seemingly dragging along the seabed.
He also pointed out that the automatic identification system of the ship clearly indicated its passage over the cable, leaving uncertainty about when the cable was actually severed.
“I trust that investigators will quickly conclude that this is not a case of intentional conduct but rather a technical issue caused by the severe weather, and that the ship will be released soon,” Kalchev expressed.
The Vezhen, which sails under a Maltese flag, was en route to South America carrying a shipment of fertilizer. According to Kalchev, the vessel is a 32,000-ton ship that was launched in 2022.
The Swedish public prosecutors’ office has announced that it is currently executing various specific investigative steps. Participation in the investigation includes multiple agencies, such as the National Police Operations Department, the Coast Guard, and the Armed Forces, as detailed by senior prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist in an official statement.
