Norwegian police have seized a Russian-crewed ship, the Silver Dania, over suspicion of damaging a fiber cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden. The ship was found on Thursday evening by Troms Police after a request from Latvian authorities. It was brought into the port of Tromso on Friday morning.
The investigation is ongoing, with police searching the ship, conducting interviews, and securing evidence. The crew, who are Russian nationals, are being questioned. Despite initial concerns, the owners of the Silver Dania claim to be innocent and have cooperated with authorities.
This incident is the latest in a string of sabotage incidents targeting European infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, including natural gas pipes and electricity/data cables. Such events have raised suspicions of external forces being involved and led to increased investigations by European officials.
Russia has denied allegations of involvement in these incidents, accusing NATO of building up naval and air forces under a “fictitious pretext”. The seized ship’s owners claim they had not yet found any links connecting the vessel to the damaged cable.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/31/europe/norway-seizes-russian-crewed-ship-on-suspicion-of-causing-serious-damage-to-undersea-cable-between-latvia-and-sweden/index.html