Sweden Probe Into Broken Cable Advances as Seabed Study Winds Up

Sweden’s Navy completed a survey of the seabed near one of the damaged data cables in the Baltic Sea as the Nordic country investigates potential sabotage against the underwater infrastructure.

A high-speed fiber optic cable connecting Finland and Germany was cut early Monday by what was likely an external impact and a nearby link between Lithuania and Sweden was damaged on Sunday. The incidents are being probed by Swedish police as possible sabotage, and are the second such event in the Baltic Sea in just over a year.

The Navy has finished its investigation of the cable between Finland and Germany, spokesman Jimmie Adamsson said by text message. A probe into the Lithuania-Sweden link began last night, he said, adding that the Navy is in a “constant dialog” with investigators. It’s using unmanned submarines to conduct the studies.

The Danish military is retaining a presence near a Chinese bulk carrier, Yi Peng 3, that was in the vicinity of the cables when they were damaged, data compiled by Bloomberg show. It has been anchored in the northern part of the Danish straits since Tuesday.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Tuesday said the events have to be investigated as sabotage, while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday said she wouldn’t be surprised if that turned out to have been the case. China has pushed back, saying it asks its vessels to “strictly abide by relevant laws and regulations.”

Finland is conducting a criminal investigation into the damage to its cable, probing the incident as “aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications.” More information is likely to emerge next week, when a repair ship is expected to reach the site and lift up the cable.

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