Norway releases Russian-crewed ship suspected in cable damage
What's the story
Norwegian authorities have released the Silver Dania, a Norwegian cargo ship with an all-Russian crew.
The vessel was seized earlier, on Friday, on suspicion of damaging a Baltic Sea telecoms cable. "It is suspected that the ship has been involved in serious damage to a fiber cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden," the local police had said in a statement.
However, Tromsoe police have now confirmed that there is no evidence linking the ship to sabotage.
Owner's denial
Silver Dania's owner denies involvement in cable damage
The Silver Dania was detained at the request of Latvian authorities and with the help of Norway's coast guard.
The ship is owned by the Silver Sea shipping group, whose CEO Tormod Fossmark has categorically denied any involvement in the incident.
"We have no involvement in this whatsoever," Fossmark said, adding that tracking data from the ship showed no irregularities during its journey.
Ongoing investigation
Investigation continues into Baltic Sea cable damage
The investigation into the damage to the data transmission cable between Ventspils, Latvia, and Gotland remains ongoing.
Swedish prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation into suspected sabotage and detained another vessel, the Malta-flagged Vezhen.
The operator of Vezhen, a Bulgarian company, has acknowledged that it may have accidentally struck the cable with its anchor but denied any malicious intent.
Regional alert
Baltic Sea region on high alert following multiple outages
The Baltic Sea region has remained on high alert after multiple outages of power cables, telecom links, and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
NATO has responded to the incidents by increasing its presence in the region with frigates, aircraft, and naval drones.
Despite the release of the Silver Dania, authorities remain vigilant as probes into the disruptions continue.