A Swedish prosecutor announced on Monday that the cargo ship Vezhen damaged a submarine cable connecting Sweden and Latvia in late August, but that it was not deliberate. The vessel, which is registered under the Maltese flag, had already been released.

The incident occurred on January 26th and was just one of many in recent months that prompted a search for suspected vessels.

Silver Dania was a Norwegian cargo vessel with a crew of all Russians. The ship was taken by the authorities in Norway on the request of Latvians, before it cleared of any wrongdoing.

The Vezhen was seized by Swedish police the day following the damage to the cable in Sweden's exclusive Economic Zone.

The Swedish prosecution authority issued a statement saying that the investigation had shown "clearly" that this was not a case involving sabotage.

The authority stated that investigators have concluded, however, that the Vezhen caused the damage, and they are continuing their investigation to determine if other crimes were committed.

It was stated that "a combination of weather and equipment deficiencies and seamanship contributed" to the cable breaking.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Baltic Sea region has been on high alert. This is because there have been a series of power cables, telecom links, and gas pipelines outages.

NATO responded last month by announcing that it would use frigates, drones and aircraft to protect critical infrastructure. It also said that it reserves the right to act against any ships it suspects of being a threat.

(source: Reuters)