Swedish inquiry clears ship crew of sabotage in Baltic cable case
The crew of the vessel Vezhen did not commit sabotage in the Baltic Sea. According to the Swedish prosecutor's office, the cable break between Sweden and Latvia was caused by adverse weather conditions, equipment shortages, and navigation errors.
Following these findings, the decision to seize the vessel, owned by a Bulgarian entity and sailing under the Maltese flag, was revoked on Monday. Since 26th January, Vezhen had been forcibly anchored off Karlskrona, on Sweden's south-eastern coast.
"An investigation into a possible role of the Vezhen ship has clarified that it is not a case of gross sabotage," prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist emphasised, as quoted in the statement.
Concurrently, the prosecutor's office assured the continuation of the investigation, which might result in other negligence-related charges against the crew.
The Bulgarian owner sought the vessel's recovery in court in Visby on Gotland.
The damage to the fibre optic cable, located on the Baltic Sea bed between Latvia's western coast and Gotland in Sweden, occurred on 26th January. Latvian and Swedish authorities launched an investigation into this incident. A special Swedish police unit seized the vessel based on a prosecutor's decision, and investigators interviewed the crew, conducted inspections, and secured evidence.
