The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority (NSIA) is organizing the Nordic and Baltic Marine Accident Investigation Authorities Conference in Oslo on May 27-28, 2025. Representatives from Latvia's Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Bureau have been invited to participate in this event to share insights on maritime accident and incident developments in Latvia, specifically highlighting investigation findings concerning the underwater optical cable damage between Gotland Island and Ventspils earlier this year.
During the conference, regional maritime accident and incident trends over the past year will be discussed, including the implications of "shadow fleet" operations on maritime safety and recent notable incidents involving underwater infrastructure damage, potentially classified as sabotage. Such incidents have become increasingly common in the Baltic Sea region. Thus, the conference aims to facilitate an exchange of experiences, resource pooling, and establishing a unified position, which will later be presented to the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).
Aleksandrs Pavlovičs, Head of the Maritime Accident Investigation Division at Latvia's Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Bureau, explains: “The optical cable damage incident between Gotland and Ventspils sparked significant attention both locally and internationally. We are pleased that the conclusions from our ongoing investigation are proving valuable to our international partners. Notably, Finland and Sweden openly and extensively communicate such incidents to the public, believing this promotes preventive actions. Latvia might also consider adopting this beneficial practice.”
The Nordic and Baltic Marine Accident Investigation Authorities Conference serves as an international forum for independent maritime incident investigation bodies, enhancing collaboration, timely information exchange, and developing new effective solutions to various maritime accident and incident scenarios, ranging from technical issues to legal and organizational considerations.