The NATO defense alliance is increasing its presence in the Baltic Sea with two ships as a result of several cable breaks over Christmas. This was announced by Finland's Foreign Minister, Elina Valtonen, to the Finnish media outlet Yle.
- NATO is sending two vessels to the area, and we are increasing our presence in the area in other ways as well. It is not possible to guard all infrastructure, but we are taking several measures, and NATO's presence has a calming effect, says Valtonen.
At the end of December, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that the alliance would increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea. However, it was not clear to what extent this would happen.
On December 25, the Estlink 2 power cable, which runs in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia, was damaged. Several data cables were also broken. The tanker "Eagle S" was quickly suspected of being involved.
The ship - a tanker - sailed on the night of December 25 from St. Petersburg and further out into the Baltic Sea. The suspicion against the "Eagle S" arose because the tanker sailed past the places where the cable breaks were subsequently discovered.
Finland suspects that the ship is part of Russia's shadow fleet, which consists of ships that sail with Russian goods under the flags of other countries. Elina Valtonen tells Yle that Finland has long been concerned that the Russian shadow fleet poses a threat to the marine environment and safety.
Shortly after the cable breaks in December, Finnish police took control of the "Eagle S", which has since been lying in the sea off Finland.
In addition to a police investigation of the ship, Finnish authorities have launched an inspection to determine whether the ship meets international safety requirements and has valid certificates. The ship sails under the flag of the Cook Islands and is loaded with 35,000 tons of gasoline.
Earlier this week, its anchor was found on the bottom of the Gulf of Finland near the town of Porkkalanniemi at the end of a towpath on the seabed. It is suspected that the ship's anchor has been dragged across the seabed, causing damage to the submarine cables.
/ritzau/
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