A Norwegian-owned, Russian-crewed ship that was initially suspected of damaging an underwater fiber optic cable between Latvia and Sweden’s Gotland has been released.
Norwegian police stated late Friday that no evidence linked the vessel, Silver Dania, to the incident.
“Tromsø police district has carried out multiple investigative steps and secured what we deem necessary in response to Latvia’s request. The investigation will continue, but we see no reason to keep the ship in Tromsø any longer,” said police attorney Ronny Jørgensen.
The Silver Dania was stopped on Thursday evening and escorted to Tromsø’s port in northern Norway on Friday morning by a Norwegian coast guard vessel, following a request from Latvian authorities and a court ruling in Norway.
At the time, police suspected the ship—traveling between the Russian ports of St. Petersburg and Murmansk—of involvement in severe cable damage discovered last weekend in the Baltic Sea. Authorities did not provide further details but confirmed they had searched the ship and conducted interviews.
Tormod Fossmark, CEO of SilverSea, the company that owns the vessel, denied any involvement, stating that the ship caused no damage while passing through the area. He emphasized that the company was cooperating fully with authorities in this “serious” matter.
“We had no part in this whatsoever,” Fossmark told The Associated Press. “We did not drop anchor or take any actions that could have caused damage, and the investigation will confirm that today.”
He also noted that the ship’s tracking data showed no irregularities in its journey and expressed hope that the vessel, which was not carrying cargo, would be able to resume its voyage later in the day.
The cable, running from Ventspils, Latvia, to Gotland, was found damaged on Sunday. Later that day, Swedish prosecutors launched a preliminary investigation into suspected sabotage and ordered the detention of another vessel, the Malta-flagged Vezhen, suspected of causing the damage.
The Bulgarian owner of the Vezhen acknowledged that the ship might have accidentally broken the cable but dismissed any possibility of sabotage or deliberate action by the crew. (AP)
