Bulgarian Shipping Company Denies Sabotage in Baltic Sea Cable Incident

A Bulgarian shipping company refuted claims that its vessel deliberately damaged an underwater fibre optic cable connecting Latvia and Gotland. Navibulgar's CEO cited harsh weather conditions and the accidental dragging of an anchor as probable causes. Swedish authorities are investigating the incident for potential sabotage.

A Bulgarian shipping company has categorically denied allegations that their vessel intentionally damaged an undersea fibre optic cable linking Latvia with the Swedish island of Gotland.

In an official statement, Alexander Kalchev, CEO of Navibulgar, conceded that while their ship, the Vezhen, may have caused the breakage, this was not due to any deliberate act by the crew. The statement noted that the ship was navigating in extreme weather conditions and later realized the left anchor was dragging along the seabed.

This announcement followed news that Swedish prosecutors have begun a preliminary inquiry into potential sabotage. Kalchev expressed hope that investigations would swiftly clarify the incident as an unintentional technical mishap due to weather conditions, leading to the release of the detained vessel.

(With inputs from agencies.)