OSLO, Norway — A vessel, owned by Norway and manned by a Russian crew, which was under scrutiny for potential involvement in the damage of an underwater fiber optic cable linking Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland, has been released from authorities’ custody.
Late Friday, the Norwegian police communicated that no evidence was found connecting the ship, named Silver Dania, to the incident. “The Tromsø police district has completed several investigative measures deemed necessary following the request from Latvian authorities. While the investigation will persist, there is no basis for keeping the ship in Tromsø any longer,” stated Ronny Jørgensen, a lawyer for the Tromsø police.
The Silver Dania was halted on Thursday evening and subsequently towed into the Tromsø port by a Norwegian coast guard vessel on Friday morning following a court’s directive and a request from Latvian officials. Initially, authorities indicated suspicions surrounding the ship, which was in transit between the Russian ports of St. Petersburg and Murmansk, of having contributed to significant damage detected last weekend in the Baltic Sea.
However, officials did not provide additional details but announced that they were inspecting the ship and conducting interviews with the crew. Tormod Fossmark, the CEO of SilverSea—the company owning the Silver Dania—firmly denied any involvement in the damage during the vessel’s passage through the cable’s vicinity, emphasizing that the company was cooperating fully in this serious matter.
Fossmark remarked, “We have no involvement in this whatsoever. We did not drop anchors or engage in any activity that could have caused this issue, and we expect the investigation to confirm this.” He pointed out that tracking records for the ship indicated no anomalies during its journey.
He expressed hopes that the vessel, which was not transporting any cargo at the time of inspection, would be cleared to continue its journey later that day.
The break in the data transmission cable, which runs from Ventspils, Latvia, to Gotland, was identified on Sunday. Subsequently, Swedish prosecutors initiated a preliminary inquiry into what they suspect could be sabotage, ordering the seizure of another vessel, the Malta-flagged Vezhen, which is also believed to be connected to the cable’s damage.
The owner of the Vezhen from Bulgaria acknowledged that it was conceivable that the vessel may have inadvertently damaged the cable but dismissed any allegations of sabotage or intentional misconduct by its crew.
