Bulgarian shipping company conducts its own investigation into the 'Vezhen' incident, in whcih Sweden seized the ship after suspected Baltic Sea cable sabotage

The Bulgarian shipping company Navigation Maritime Bulgare (NAVIBULGAR®) is conducting its own investigation into the case of the detained vessel "Vezhen" in the Baltic Sea. This was announced by the Executive Director, Captain Alexander Kalchev on January 28. He presented photos from the ship, which, according to him, prove that the "leaked" anchor of the ship was not due to malicious actions but rather a result of the nearly 3-metre-high waves that had been flooding the ship's deck.

• Suspected sabotage: Swedish authorities detain Bulgarian ship Vezhen

"Information about the weather conditions in maritime operations is obtained from specialized sources. In this case, from the safety system 'Navtex,' which operates in the Baltic Sea. We believe there is no sabotage. This is supported by the evidence gathered in a preliminary investigation which Navigation Maritime Bulgare (NAVIBULGAR®) is carrying out into the incident and evidence has been gathered accordingly, namely photographs. The ship's movement, captured by the Automatic Identification System (AIS), is recorded. According to 'Navtex,' the incident occurred near the island of Gotland. On the 25th and 26th, there were warnings of bad weather and winds of 22-23 metres per second, which created high waves of over 2.5-3 metres. This is also corroborated by the ship’s camera footage, which shows waves crashing against the bow and flooding the so-called 'bag,' with water reaching the deck," Captain Kalchev explained.

He showed pictures of the broken anchor and more damage to the anchoring device.

"Our view is that due to the wave impacts, the securing element gave way. This anchor, together with its chain, weighs over 7 tonnes. For hours, the guillotine stopper was deformed, and the chain slowly descended, link by link, making it difficult for the crew to realise that something had happened. There is no reason to believe that this was a malicious act."

• Seized ship 'Vezhen': Navigation Maritime Bulgare dismisses possibility of sabotage

The Bulgarian ship "Vezhen," sailing under the Maltese flag, was detained off the coast of Sweden on suspicion of sabotage in the Baltic Sea. The crew is accused of deliberately severing an underwater optical cable between Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland with its anchor.

Eight Bulgarians and nine Myanmar sailors were on board the vessel, which is owned by Navigation Maritime Bulgare (NAVIBULGAR®).