Estonia start naval patrols to protect undersea cables

Estonia has started naval patrols to protect a power cable under the Baltic Sea from Finland, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Friday.

It comes after suspected sabotage of a similar cable earlier this week.

"If there is a threat to the critical undersea infrastructure in our region, there will also be a response," Tsahkna said on social media X.

Damage to subsea installations has become so frequent that it has become hard to attribute it to mere accidents or poor seamanship, Tsahkna said

Finland seizes Russia 'shadow fleet' ship

Finnish authorities seized an oil tanker on Thursday because they suspect it was involved in cutting important undersea cables.

Police suspect the oil tanker's anchor might have damaged the Estlink 2 submarine cable on Wednesday.

Authorities also believe the ship may be part of Russia's "shadow fleet," used to avoid Western sanctions.

"The assumption at the moment is that it is a shadow fleet vessel and the cargo was unleaded petrol loaded in a Russian port," said Sami Rakshit, director general of Finnish Customs.

The Eagle S vessel, which flies under the Cook Islands flag in the South Pacific, was en route to Port Said in Egypt.

NATO to enchance Baltic Sea presence 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the military alliance, "will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea."

When asked about Finland's investigation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "I can't say anything precise here, this is a very narrow-profile issue which is hardly the prerogative of the (Russian) presidential administration."

Wednesday's incident came just over a month after telecommunications cables were severed in Swedish territorial waters.

lo/rc (AFP, Reuters)