Lower Sea cable in the Baltic Sea probably damaged by external influence

Von WOM

On Sunday, a submarine fiber optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged, presumably due to external influences, as Latvia announced. This triggered an investigation by local and NATO seasca in the Baltic Sea.

examination by Latvia and NATO

"We found that there are most likely significant external damage," said Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina to journalists after an extraordinary cabinet session. According to Silina, Latvia coordinates with NATO and the countries of the Baltic Sea region to clarify the circumstances.

navy inserts and ship monitoring

The Latvian Navy announced on Sunday that a patrol boat was sent to inspect a ship, while two other ships are also the subject of investigations. Several thousand commercial ships in the Baltic Sea run at any time, and several of them passed the damaged cable on Sunday, as data from the Marintraffic shipping service show.

suspicious ships and maritime security

Such a ship, the Bulkcarrier Vezhen, who is driving under Maltese flag, was treaded closely by a Swedish coastal wax ship on Sunday evening, and the two ships headed towards the south Swedish coast. It was initially unclear whether the Vezhen, which passed the fiber optic cable on Sunday at 00:45 GMT, was the subject of further investigations. A spokesman for the Swedish coast guard did not want to comment on Vezhen or the position of the coast guard, but emphasized that they could currently not provide any information.

NATO cooperation and security measures

The spokesman for the Swedish Navy, Jimmie Adamsson, said Reuters that it was too early to say what caused the damage to the cable or whether it was a deliberate act or a technical error. NATO said in a message that its ships and aircraft examine in cooperation with national resources from the Baltic Sea Anrainer states and, if necessary, take measures.

reaction to incidents in the Baltic Sea

The Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his country was working closely with NATO and Latvia: "Sweden will provide important skills to examine the suspected incident," said KRISTSSON on X. Last week, NATO announced that they would use frigates, patrol aircraft and marine ships in the Baltic Sea to protect critical infrastructures and reserve the right to Proceed ships that could be a security threat.

background and causes

These measures, known as "Baltic Sentry", take place according to a number of incidents in which power cables, telecommunications connections and gas pipelines have been damaged in Ukraine in February 2022 since Russia. Last month, the Finnish police confiscated a tanker who transported Russian oil and suspected that the ship had damaged the Finnish Estlink Estlink 2 current line and four telecommunications cables by pulling its anchor across the sea floor.

technical details and repair plans

The Latvian State Radio and Television Center (LVRTC) said that the damage to the cable that connects the Latvian city of Ventpils with the Swedish island of Gotland had occurred in the Swedish exclusive business area. The telecommunications providers were able to switch to alternative transmission paths. LVRTC also stated that she wanted to hire a ship to start repairs. "The exact type of damage can only be determined when the cable repair work begins," says Lvrtc.

Waiting for repairs

A spokesman for the operator reported that the cable was laid at a depth of over 50 meters and was damaged in the early Sunday, but did not want to specify the accidents. In contrast to natural gas pipelines and power cables, the repair of which can take months, fiber optic cables that have suffered damage in the Baltic Sea are usually restored within weeks. A spokesman for the Swedish postal and telecommunications authority confirmed that one was informed about the situation, but could not make any further comments.