Sweden investigating new reports of Baltic Sea cable damage

Swedish authorities said on Friday they are investigating reports of a breach of another undersea cable in the Baltic Sea.

The Swedish Coast Guard dispatched a vessel to the location of the reported breach, east of the island of Gotland.

"It is in the Swedish economic zone and we are assisting with the crime scene investigation," a spokesperson told the AFP news agency.

Police are also investigating.

Finnish telecommunications company Cinia said on Friday that it had detected minor damage on its C-Lion1 fiber-optic cable that connects Finland and Germany. However, there was no impact on the cable's functionality.

Baltic Sea cables under close watch

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the government was being briefed on the situation.

"I have for some time been aware of media reports of a possible new cable break in the Baltic Sea," Kristersson said on social media.

Several telecommunications and power cables have been damaged in the Baltic Sea in recent months.

In January, authorities discovered damage to an undersea fiber-optic cable running between Gotland and Latvia. Authorities later ruled out sabotage.

In December last year, the Estlink 2 electricity cable and four telecom cables linking Finland and Estonia were damaged. A month earlier, two telecom cables in Swedish waters were also severed, including Cinia's C-Lion1.

NATO members — including Sweden — announced in January they would ramp up patrols in the Baltic Sea to protect critical underwater infrastructure.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse