Danish officials have shot down the idea a small general cargo ship was sunk after a run-in with the Russian navy.

Maritime labour union Nautilus International said the 1,564-dwt Bjugnfjord's (built 1976) sank the day after running into bad weather, not after being harassed by Russian warships, as EOS Risk suggested on Thursday.

Over the weekend, it reported the ship's owner, Norway-based Fosenkrakt, said the ship began listing after the topsoil it was carrying shifted.