SHIP NOT IN SHAPE: The Latvian navy coast guard vessel Spulga, which ran aground near the Swedish coast, sank Nov. 6 during an attempted towing after it was set afloat again, the Defense Ministry reported. The 34.4-meter Spulga ran aground near the Swedish coast on the night of Nov. 2, but no one was injured. The Spulga was en route to the Swedish port of Karlskrona but ran aground not far from its destination due to a navigation error. Ten of Spulga's 17 original crew members returned to Latvia on a Latvian air force plane Nov. 4. An in-house investigation was opened into the accident. The Spulga was going to Sweden to pick up military equipment, according to a Defense Ministry spokesman.
