NATO has intensified its maritime patrols while Finland investigates possible sabotage of submarine cables

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Friday that the military alliance will intensify its patrols in the Baltic Sea region while Finnish investigators work to determine whether… A ship linked to Russia sabotages submarine cables There this week.

Finnish authorities took control of the ship, Eagle S, on Thursday while trying to determine whether it had destroyed a power cable linking Finland and Estonia and several data cables. This was the latest in a series of incidents involving the disruption of major infrastructure in the area.

In a post on the social media platform Rutte said that NATO “will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea.”

Officials say the tanker is part of Russia’s shadow fleet

In response to a question about the details of what could be done and when, NATO headquarters merely said that the 32-nation alliance “remains vigilant and is working to provide further support, including by strengthening our military presence” in the region.

Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, joined NATO in 2023, abandoning its decades-long policy of neutrality.

In October 2023, in response to similar incidents, NATO and its allies deployed more maritime patrol aircraft, long-range radar aircraft and drones on surveillance and reconnaissance flights, while a fleet of mine hunters was also sent to the area.

The Eagle S was flagged in the Cook Islands but was described by Finnish customs and EU officials as part of Russian shadow fleet of tankers It ships oil and gas in defiance of international sanctions imposed on it due to its war on Ukraine.

Old ships, whose ownership is often ambiguous, routinely operate without Western-regulated insurance. Russia’s use of the ships has raised environmental concerns about accidents given their age and uncertain insurance coverage.

Finnish state broadcaster Yle reported that the Eagle S anchor was suspected of causing damage to the cable, relying on police statements. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about the ship’s seizure on Friday but declined to comment.

After a high-level meeting on the incident, Stapp posted on Channel He said Finland and Estonia had requested additional assistance from NATO.

He said the new measures could include “inspecting ship insurance certificates” in the region. They are also “looking at ways, based on international maritime law, to respond more effectively to similar incidents in the future,” Staub said.

Damage to the cable had minimal impact on services

The Estlink-2 power cable, which transports electricity from Finland to Estonia across the Baltic Sea, was cut on Wednesday but had little impact on services.

The incident comes in the wake of damage to two Nord Stream data cables and gas pipelines, both of which were described as sabotage.

These data cables – one running between Finland and Germany and the other between Lithuania and Sweden – were cut in November.

The German Defense Minister said the likely cause was “sabotage,” but did not provide evidence or say who was responsible.

Nord Stream pipelines that transported natural gas from Russia to Germany were damaged Underwater explosions In September 2022.

The authorities said the reason was sabotage and opened criminal investigations.

NATO had already increased its patrols near undersea infrastructure after the Nord Stream pipeline was hit. Last year, it also established a coordination cell to deepen relations between governments, armed forces and the defense industry to better protect undersea facilities.