Bulgarian ship anchor suspected in Baltic Sea cable sabotage
The underwater cable in the Baltic Sea may have been damaged by a Bulgarian cargo ship, raising suspicions of a "sabotage act." The investigation will determine whether an anchor was involved. The vessel had previously docked in a Russian port.
The cargo ship Vezhen, which may have damaged the underwater cable between Sweden and Latvia on Saturday, is owned by Navigation Maritime Bulgare. According to the Bulgarian company, the incident was not intentional. This information was provided by Reuters, citing Aleksandar Kalchev, head of the Bulgarian transport company. NATO naval forces responded swiftly to the damage to the underwater cable in the Baltic, reported MARCOM, the central command of all NATO naval forces, located in Northwood.
Ship suspected of sabotage set sail from a Russian port
The Bulgarian ship Vezhen, suspected of attempting to destroy the cable linking Latvia and Sweden, was flying the Maltese flag and had departed from a Russian port. It is currently anchored near Karlskrona, off the southeastern coast of Sweden, after Swedish authorities boarded it on Saturday evening. In photographs, one of the anchors appears to be missing an arm, suggesting that it could have been torn off. It is also possible that the damage was accidental due to challenging weather conditions in the Baltic Sea.
The head of the Bulgarian transport company explained that it is possible that one of the anchors was accidentally dropped due to strong winds and struck the fibre optic cable. On Sunday evening, Swedish authorities announced that they had initiated an investigation into the damage to the cable connection between Latvia and the island of Gotland, suspecting a "sabotage act."
NATO maintains a constant presence in the Baltic Sea
On Tuesday, as part of the NATO Baltic Sentry operation, the Swedish armed forces dispatched, among others, the corvette HMS Visby to monitor the Baltic Sea. NATO countries have taken additional precautions due to previous incidents where underwater cables were suspected of being cut by ships from the so-called Russian shadow fleet or Chinese units. "NATO ships and aircrafts are working together with national resources from the Baltic Sea countries to investigate and, if necessary, take action," stated NATO Naval Command (MARCOM) spokesman Arlo Abrahamson.
General Christopher G. Cavoli, the commanding officer of NATO in Europe, as quoted by PAP, emphasised that the Baltic Sentry operation aims to effectively deter destabilising actions observed in recent months. This is in response to actions from 25th December and the damage to underwater cables connecting Estonia and Finland. Although Baltic Sentry is a new operation, NATO units are constantly patrolling and conducting exercises in the Baltic Sea. Comprising warships, submarines, and aircraft supported by modern surveillance technology, NATO forces continuously oversee the security of the region's waters.
Hybrid attacks and sabotage of marine infrastructure are a real challenge for NATO
As reported by Reuters, at NATO headquarters in Brussels and among member states, there is a consensus that protecting critical underwater infrastructure requires special attention. Russia has long been developing technologically advanced underwater research programmes that effectively serve as mapping of NATO's critical infrastructure, according to a senior official during an interview with a group of journalists.
As part of this programme, Russia uses specialised aquatic units, including submarines and drones, capable of damaging cables or placing explosive charges near pipelines. In response, NATO has established Baltic Sentry in the UK, a new command dedicated to protecting this infrastructure.
