Latvia Reports New Case of “External Damage” to a Subsea Cable
\n \t
\n
<\/BR>
\n
\n \t
\n
<\/BR><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Early on Sunday morning, a subsea fiber-optic cable between Gotland and Latvia was “significantly damaged,” according to the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre (LVRTC). Vineta Sprugaine, Head of Corporate Communications at LVRTC, said in a statement that there is reason to believe that the damage was caused by “external forces,” but the precise location and extent of damage have not yet been identified.\u00a0<\/p>\n
LVRTC has recommended a criminal investigation into the cause of the breach, and state police chief Armands Ruks told Latvian outlet LTV that a criminal proceeding has been opened for “intentional damage to another’s property.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
NATO is responding to the break as a potential anchor-drag incident, the fourth in little more than a year in the Baltic. Warships from NATO’s Baltic security patrol mission have intercepted two ships, one of which has been detained. Open-source intelligence analysts have identified the suspect vessels as the Maltese-flagged bulker Vezhen <\/em>and the Russia-linked LNG carrier Pskov<\/em>, formerly operated by Russian state shipping company Sovcomflot.<\/p>\n The disruption occurred on the Ventspils-Gotland section of the data cable in the early hours of Sunday morning. Vezhen <\/em>was transiting close to Gotland, within the Swedish EEZ, and AIS data appears to show that she slowed for half an hour after passing the cable crossings. Pskov<\/em> was in international waters, and her AIS track showed signs of transmission interruption, a possible indication that the transceiver may have been temporarily turned off. \u00a0<\/p>\n Like most vessels in the Sovcomflot fleet, Pskov’s <\/em>ownership and management were recently transferred to holding companies in business-friendly jurisdictions. As of Sunday evening, the vessel was still under way in the Baltic in international waters, escorted by multiple NATO patrol vessels.<\/p>\n “Sweden, Latvia and NATO are closely cooperating on the matter. Sweden will contribute with relevant capabilities to the effort to investigate the suspected incident,” said Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \t
\n
<\/BR><\/p>\n