Latest news with #NavigationMaritimeBulgare
Japan Times
28-01-2025
- Japan Times
Sweden seizes ship suspected of sabotage in Baltic Sea
Sweden detained a vessel suspected of damaging a subsea data cable connecting it with Latvia, the third such incident in the Baltic Sea in the past three months. The Security Service said it's conducting a preliminary investigation into the crime that is classified as "aggravated sabotage,' according to a statement late on Sunday. The authority also said the incident which happened early that day, may at least partly be directed against Swedish interests. One of the anchors of bulk carrier Vezhen dragged on the seabed due to strong winds, according to Alexander Kalchev, director of the Navigation Maritime Bulgare, which owns the ship. Speaking at a news conference in Varna, Bulgaria, on Monday, he denied any intentional action by the crew.
See - Sada Elbalad
27-01-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Sweden Detains Maltese-Flagged Ship Over Suspected Sabotage of Undersea Cable
Swedish authorities have detained the Maltese-flagged cargo ship Vision, registered under a Bulgarian shipping company, on suspicion of involvement in the sabotage of an undersea fiber-optic cable linking Latvia and Sweden in the Baltic Sea. According to Euronews, the Swedish Coast Guard boarded and detained the vessel after allegations surfaced that it caused damage to the vital communication cable, raising fresh concerns over potential sabotage in the region. The cable operator reported indications suggesting the damage was caused by external forces, prompting Swedish prosecutors to launch a preliminary investigation into possible sabotage. The Vision, a large cargo ship crewed by eight Bulgarian officers and nine Myanmar sailors, is believed to be responsible for the incident. Reports indicate that two days before the incident, the ship departed from the Russian port of Ust-Luga, bound for South America with a load of fertilizers. Alexander Kalchev, the head of the Bulgarian shipping company Navigation Maritime Bulgare, acknowledged the possibility of the ship damaging the cable but dismissed any notion of deliberate sabotage or crew misconduct. This event follows a series of similar incidents reported in the past two months, involving undersea infrastructure between Lithuania and Sweden, Germany and Finland, as well as Estonia and Finland. These disruptions have heightened concerns about hybrid threats, including cyberattacks and physical sabotage, allegedly linked to Russian activities in the Baltic region. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the pattern of incidents as more than mere coincidences. 'In the Baltic Sea, GPS signal disruptions and drone surveillance of critical infrastructure have been reported repeatedly,' Baerbock stated, emphasizing that the European Union and NATO have ramped up their security measures in the region over the past weeks. This latest incident underscores the growing vulnerability of undersea infrastructure and the urgent need for coordinated efforts to protect it from hybrid threats.
MTV Lebanon
27-01-2025
- MTV Lebanon
Sweden intercepts Bulgarian ship over damaged Baltic cable
The Swedish coast guard seized a Bulgarian ship after a fibre-optic cable under the Baltic Sea linking Sweden to Latvia was damaged, officials said on Monday. Latvia sent a warship on Sunday to investigate the damage, while Swedish prosecutors opened an "aggravated sabotage" investigation. Nations around the Baltic Sea have scrambled to bolster defences after the suspected sabotage of undersea cables in recent months, with some observers blaming Russia. The Swedish coast guard on Sunday instructed the Bulgarian ship Vezhen "to go into their territorial waters and it is now on anchor where an investigation... is ongoing," Alexander Kalchev, CEO of Navigation Maritime Bulgare (Navibulgar), the ship's operator, told AFP. Images of the vessel published by Swedish media appeared to show a broken arm on one of Vezhen's anchors. Kalchev denied involvement in any sabotage. "I am convinced that we cannot say... that this was a malicious act," he added. The Malta-flagged vessel carrying fertilizer from Ust-Luga in Russia and headed for South America was sailing in "extremely bad weather" on Saturday based on the information given to him by the crew, Kalchev said. An inspection on Sunday found that "one of the ship's anchors was damaged and the anchor had dropped into the sea, which means that it was possible that it had dragged along the seafloor," he said, adding that the anchor was then pulled up. The Swedish prosecutor in charge of the case, Mats Ljungqvist, told AFP that "the ship suspected of aggravated sabotage" was currently located off the coast of Karlskrona, near the small island of Aspo, but would not confirm the vessel's name. According to marine traffic websites, the Vezhen is anchored at that location, with two Swedish coast guard vessels next to it. "Staff from several Swedish authorities" have been on board the vessel since Sunday evening as part of the investigation, Ljungqvist said. He said that the the case was "primarily being handled by" the Sapo intelligence agency. Navibulgar, Bulgaria's biggest shipping company, has appointed an agent in Sweden and hired a lawyer "to defend the interests of the crew and the company", which extends its "full support" in the probe, according to Kalchev. The ship -- constructed in 2022 -- has a crew of eight Bulgarians and nine Myanmar nationals. Kalchev confirmed media reports that the ship was leased from Chinese company Hai Kuo Shipping, but said that it "has no control over the ship in any way". The damage to the cable occurred in Swedish territorial waters at a depth of at least 50 metres (164 feet), officials said. The cable belongs to Latvia's state radio and television centre (LVRTC) which said in a statement on Sunday that there had been "disruptions in data transmission services". The company said that alternatives had been found and end users would mostly not be affected, although "there may be delays in data transmission speeds". Prime Minister Evika Silina said on Sunday that Riga had notified the Swedish authorities and that the two countries were working together on the incident. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed on Sunday that he had been in contact with Silina, and said that Sweden, Latvia and NATO were closely cooperating on the matter. Experts and politicians have accused Russia of orchestrating a hybrid war against the West as the two sides square off over Ukraine. NATO this month announced it was launching a new monitoring mission in the Baltic Sea involving ships and aircraft to deter attempts to target undersea infrastructure. European Union President Ursula von der Leyen expressed "full solidarity" with countries affected by the incident. "The resilience and security of our critical infrastructure is a top priority," von der Leyen wrote on X.
Observer
27-01-2025
- Observer
Sweden intercepts Bulgarian ship over damaged Baltic cable
SOFIA: The Swedish coast guard seized a Bulgarian ship after a fibre-optic cable under the Baltic Sea linking Sweden to Latvia was damaged, its owner said on Monday. Latvia sent a warship on Sunday to investigate the damage, while Swedish prosecutors opened an "aggravated sabotage" investigation. Nations around the Baltic Sea have scrambled to bolster defences after the suspected sabotage of undersea cables in recent months, with some observers blaming Russia. The Swedish coast guard on Sunday instructed the Bulgarian ship "to go into their territorial waters and it is now on anchor where an investigation ... is ongoing," Alexander Kalchev, CEO of Navigation Maritime Bulgare (Navibulgar), owner of the Vezhen, said. Images of the vessel published by Swedish media appeared to show a broken arm on one of Vezhen's anchors. Kalchev denied involvement in any sabotage. "I am convinced that we cannot say ... that this was a malicious act," he added. The Malta-flagged vessel carrying fertilizer from Ust-Luga in Russia and headed for South America was sailing in "extremely bad weather" on Saturday based on the information given to him by the crew, Kalchev said. An inspection found that "one of the ship's anchors was damaged and the anchor had dropped into the sea, which means that it was possible that it had dragged along the seafloor," he said, adding the anchor was then pulled up. The Swedish prosecutor in charge of the case, Mats Ljungqvist, told AFP that "the ship suspected of aggravated sabotage" was currently located off the coast of Karlskrona, near the small island of Aspo, but would not confirm the vessel's name. According to marine traffic websites, the Vezhen is anchored at that location, with two Swedish coast guard vessels next to it. "Staff from several Swedish authorities" have been on board the vessel since Sunday evening as part of the investigation, Ljungqvist said. "The case is primarily being handled by (intelligence agency) Sapo, and I am in charge of the preliminary investigation. We are also receiving excellent assistance from the Swedish coast guard, the Swedish police's National Operations Department as well as the military," he said. Prime Minister Evika Silina said Riga had notified the Swedish authorities and that the two countries were working together on the incident. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed he had been in contact with Silina, and said Sweden, Latvia and Nato were closely cooperating on the matter. Nato this month announced it was launching a new monitoring mission in the Baltic Sea involving ships and aircraft to deter attempts to target undersea infrastructure. European Union President Ursula von der Leyen expressed "full solidarity" with countries affected by the incident. "The resilience and security of our critical infrastructure is a top priority," von der Leyen wrote on X. — AFP
Euronews
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Sweden seizes and boards ship suspected of cable damage in Baltic Sea
Sweden's coast guard boarded and seized the ship they allege damaged the underwater fibre optic cable between Latvia and Sweden in the Baltic Sea, in yet another incident sparking fresh fears of sabotage. After the cable's operator said there was reason to believe the damage may have been caused by external influence, the Swedish prosecutors launched a preliminary investigation into the suspected sabotage and seized the ship believed to have been behind it. The seized vessel is reported to be the Vezhen — a Maltese-flagged bulk carrier registered to a Bulgarian shipping company — with eight Bulgarian officers and nine sailors from Myanmar on board. Local media say that two days before the incident, it left the Russian port of Ust-Luga and sailed towards South America loaded with fertilisers. The head of the Bulgarian shipping company, Navigation Maritime Bulgare, Aleksandar Kalchev, said it was possible the ship caused the cable to break but dismissed any possibility of sabotage or any other action by the crew. According to Kalchev, the ship accidentally dropped its anchor while it was sailing in extremely inclement weather on Saturday. The crew then woke up to see their anchor being dragged along the seabed. This incident follows similar cases reported in the past two months between Lithuania and Sweden, Germany and Finland, and Estonia and Finland, as well as growing fears of cyber and hybrid interference by Russia. Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the news can't be a coincidence and added that too often in the Baltic Sea, 'GPS signals are repeatedly disrupted, critical infrastructure is spied on with drones.' She said the EU and NATO have intensified their work in the area, particularly within the last few weeks, and described plans for this coordination to expand to 'strengthen our resilience".
