Swedish authorities have seized a vessel, suspected of sabotage, after an undersea fiber optic cable linking Latvia and Sweden was damaged in the Baltic Sea on January 26. 

Swedish newspaper Expressen reports that the seized vessel is the cargo ship Vezhen. Marine Traffic, which tracks vessel movements, shows that the ship, which was flying the Maltese flag, was en route to Denmark when the fiber optic cable was damaged.

Following the cable operator’s suggestion that external factors may have caused the damage, Swedish prosecutors initiated a preliminary investigation into the suspected sabotage and seized the Vezhen, according to reports. 

Latvia’s navy had previously identified another ship, the Michalis San, as a “suspect vessel.” Several naval traffic tracking websites disclosed that the Michalis San was en route to Russia when the incident occurred. The navy also stated that two other vessels are under investigation.

NATO, alongside Swedish and Latvian authorities, has deployed ships and aircraft to patrol the area and assist in the investigation.

The incident follows a series of similar cases in the Baltic region, where undersea infrastructure has been targeted. In December 2024, Finnish authorities seized the Russian-linked tanker Eagle S, suspected of damaging the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and four telecom cables by dragging its anchor. 

NATO recently launched “Baltic Sentry,” a coordinated effort to protect critical underwater infrastructure in the region, following these incidents and growing concerns about potential sabotage linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.