site.btaBulgarian Consul in Stockholm to See Vezhen Crew Shortly

The Bulgarian crew of the ship Vezhen, detained off the Swedish coast in connection with the January 26 Baltic Sea cable incident, will be visited shortly by the Bulgarian consul in Stockholm, the Foreign Ministry in Sofia reported on its website on Tuesday.

On Sunday, the Swedish prosecution service reported that they have opened a preliminary investigation into suspected aggravated sabotage.  They have also ordered the detention of the ship Vezhen in the Baltic Sea. The vessel is suspected of damaging an underwater fibre optic cable connecting Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland.

The Bulgarian Embassy in Sweden has made all necessary steps to obtain official information on the circumstances of the incident, the Foreign Ministry said. It cited early information provided by the Swedish authorities showing that the ship's crew includes eight Bulgarian citizens. No charges have been brought against them, they are not in remand and are allowed to leave the vessel but have chosen to stay on board. They can contact their families.

The Bulgarian Embassy in Stockholm remains in constant contact with the Swedish Foreign Ministry and the other competent institutions in the Nordic country in connection with the Vezhen investigation, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Navibulgar CEO Alexander Kalchev told a news conference in Varna that the Vezhen crew did not commit any malicious act. He ruled out the possibility of sabotage.