The NATO defense alliance has increased its presence in the Baltic Sea after critical infrastructure such as electricity and gas cables on the seabed were damaged. But several countries are looking at how to further protect cables in the Baltic Sea, and a fee for sailing in the Baltic Sea could pay some of the bill, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told Reuters.
Whether it is the cable operators or individual countries that pay for additional monitoring and protection of the seabed, the bill will end up with the consumer, according to the minister - either through higher prices or taxes.
Pevkur explained to the news agency that a fee that will end up with the shipping companies could be seen as insurance against damaging cables. However, he says that there are many different proposals on the table, and that the countries must find a common solution.
The largest cable operator in the Nordic region demands increased security
The uncertainty surrounding the cables on the seabed has also led the largest cable operator in the Nordic region, Global Connect, to demand increased security. This is what the company's CEO, Martin Lippert, tells TV 2. He believes that the state must invest further in surveillance, preparedness and more cables.
- You must be aware that submarine cables are an integral part of our infrastructure, and there is not much that works in modern society if our main routes for data transmission disappear, he tells the media.
Last week, the Ministry of Defense announced that Denmark's contribution to the increased NATO effort in the Baltic Sea will include both ships and combat aircraft as well as special operations forces.
The Danish side will carry out "tightened surveillance of and presence in Danish waters and straits as well as in the western part of the Baltic Sea to support the operation", the ministry said, among other things.
The purpose of the effort is, among other things, to protect critical infrastructure such as wires and cables on the seabed.
/ritzau/
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