In just three months, three incidents of damage to Baltic Sea underwater cables have taken place. While accidential cable slices are common, the cluster raises suspicion.

A Norwegian ship suspected of being involved in "serious damage" to an underwater telecoms cable between Latvia and Sweden has been boarded by police.

Nato countries have stepped up patrols to protect critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, which is bordered by eight countries, and other waters. A Royal Navy submarine was ordered to surface last November close to a suspected Russian spy ship which was loitering over undersea infrastructure in UK waters.

After a series of suspected undersea cable cuttings, NATO has launched a new surveillance and deterrence mission to protect critical infrastructure under the Baltic Sea.

Norwegian police announced today that a Norwegian-flagged vessel has been detained in Tromso under suspicion of being involved in Baltic cable sabotage. Latvian authorities asked the Tromso police to detain the 5,353 dwt Silver Dania (built 1989), which was sailing between St Petersburg and Murmansk.

Swedish authorities boarded a Maltese-flagged ship seized in connection with the latest breach of cables running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea to begin an investigation into the matter, the country's security police said on Monday.

Damage to the data transmission cable running from Ventspils, Latvia, to Gotland was detected on Sunday. Later that day, Swedish prosecutors announced that they had opened a preli

Norway has detained the Silver Dania on suspicion of involvement in damaging a fiber optic cable in the Baltic Sea. The ship's crew are Russians, Dagbladet reports. Norwegian police said they had seized the Silver Dania based on a legal request from Latvia and a court order.

Norwegian authorities on Friday said they seized a commercial ship with an all-Russian crew suspected of damaging an undersea telecom cable in the Baltic Sea.