Police in Norway said on Friday they had seized a Norwegian-owned ship with a Russian crew over its suspected involvement in damage done to a Baltic Sea cable.

Nations around the Baltic Sea have scrambled to bolster their defences since the suspected sabotage of undersea cables in recent months, with some observers blaming Russia.

The vessel's owner has rejected any wrongdoing. Norwegian police said the vessel was seized at Latvia's request.

The Norway-flagged cargo ship, the Silver Dania, was sailing between Saint Petersburg and Murmansk when a Norwegian coastguard ship stopped it on Thursday evening off the coast of Tromso in northern Norway.

It arrived in the port of Tromso on Friday morning.

"The ship is suspected to have been involved in serious damage to a fibre cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden," police said in a statement.

"Police are now on board the ship to search, carry out interrogations and secure evidence," it said, adding that the crew and shipowner were cooperating with police.

"The entire crew on board is Russian," it added.

Sweden and Latvia announced on........

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