Undersea cable in the Baltic Sea probably damaged by external influences

Undersea cable in the Baltic Sea probably damaged by external influences

On Sunday, an undersea fiber optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged, presumably due to external influences, Latvia said. This has sparked an investigation by local and NATO naval forces in the Baltic Sea.

Investigation by Latvia and NATO

“We have determined that there is most likely significant external damage,” Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina told reporters after an extraordinary cabinet meeting. According to Silina, Latvia is coordinating with NATO and the countries of the Baltic Sea region to clarify the circumstances.

Navy operations and ship surveillance

The Latvian Navy announced on Sunday that a patrol boat had been dispatched to inspect a ship, while two other vessels are also under investigation. At any given time, several thousand commercial ships operate in the Baltic Sea, and several of them passed the damaged cable on Sunday, data from the MarinTraffic ship tracking service shows.

Suspicious ships and maritime security

One such vessel, the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier Vezhen, was closely followed by a Swedish coast guard ship on Sunday evening, and the two ships headed towards the southern Swedish coast. It was initially unclear whether the Vezhen, which passed through the fiber optic cable at 00:45 GMT on Sunday, was the subject of further investigation. A spokesman for the Swedish Coast Guard declined to comment on Vezhen or the Coast Guard's position, but stressed that they could not provide any information at this time.

NATO cooperation and security measures

Swedish navy spokesman Jimmie Adamsson told Reuters 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 statement that its ships and aircraft, in cooperation with national resources of the Baltic Sea states, are investigating and taking action if necessary.

Response to incidents in the Baltic Sea

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his country was working closely with NATO and Latvia: "Sweden will provide important capabilities to investigate the suspected incident," Kristersson said on actions that could pose a security threat.

Background and causes

These measures, known as “Baltic Sentry,” come after a series of incidents in which power cables, telecommunications links and gas pipelines have been damaged since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Last month, Finnish police seized a tanker carrying Russian oil and suspected the ship had damaged the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and four telecommunications cables by dragging its anchor across the seabed.

Technical details and repair plans

The Latvian State Radio and Television Center (LVRTC) said the damage to the cable connecting the Latvian city of Ventspils to the Swedish island of Gotland occurred in the Swedish exclusive economic territory. The telecommunications providers were able to switch to alternative transmission routes. LVRTC further stated that it would like to commission a vessel to begin repairs. “The exact nature of the damage cannot be determined until cable repair work begins,” LVRTC said.

Waiting for repairs

A spokesman for the operator reported that the cable was laid at a depth of over 50 meters and was damaged early Sunday, but declined to give an exact time of the incident. Unlike natural gas pipelines and power cables, which can take months to repair, fiber optic cables that sustained damage in the Baltic Sea are typically restored within weeks. A spokesman for the Swedish Postal and Telecommunications Authority confirmed that it was aware of the situation but could not provide further comment.