OSLO, Norway — A ship operated by Russian crew and owned by Norwegian interests has been detained by authorities amid suspicions that it may have played a role in damaging an underwater fiber optic cable that links Latvia with Sweden’s Gotland island. This action was confirmed by police on Friday.

The vessel, known as the Silver Dania, was intercepted on Thursday evening and subsequently escorted to the port of Tromsø in northern Norway early the next day, thanks to a Norwegian coast guard operation. This intervention came after a request from Latvian officials and an order from a Norwegian court.

Authorities expressed concern that the Silver Dania, which was en route from St. Petersburg to Murmansk, might be connected to significant damage that occurred to the cable in the Baltic Sea. While specific details were not disclosed, police mentioned that they are currently examining the ship and conducting interviews with the crew.

The underwater cable, stretching from Ventspils in Latvia to Gotland, was found to be damaged on Sunday afternoon. Following this discovery, prosecutors in Sweden initiated a preliminary investigation into the possibility of sabotage. They also directed the detention of another vessel, the Vezhen, which is registered under the Maltese flag and is thought to be linked to the cable’s damage.

The Vezhen’s owner from Bulgaria suggested that while it might be conceivable for the ship to have inadvertently caused the cable breakage, they firmly rejected any claims of sabotage or wrongdoing by the crew.