The Baltic Sea Facing Unprecedented Cable Incidents: Finland’s Intelligence Chief

The Baltic Sea region has been experiencing a surge in cable incidents in recent years, raising concerns about underwater sabotage activities. Finland’s intelligence service chief has highlighted that state actors have more sophisticated methods of performing underwater sabotage than simply dragging anchors.

The heightened alert in the Baltic Sea region follows a series of power cable, telecom link, and gas pipeline outages since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The NATO military alliance has ramped up its presence in the area with frigates, aircraft, and naval drones.

Finland recently released the oil tanker Eagle S, which is suspected of damaging a Baltic Sea power cable and four data cables late last year. However, Finnish authorities are still investigating the incident and have not yet provided any conclusive findings.

Juha Martelius, the head of Finland’s security and intelligence service Supo, downplayed the significance of the cable incidents but noted that their frequency in the Baltic Sea in recent years has been exceptional. He emphasized that the presence of Russia’s shadow fleet in the region poses a significant concern.

The term ‘shadow fleet’ refers to vessels used by Russia to transport oil, arms, and grains in violation of international sanctions imposed on the country over the Ukraine conflict. These vessels play a crucial role in allowing Russia to circumvent energy sanctions and maintain its economy.

In a national security review released by Supo, it was revealed that dozens of shadow fleet vessels navigate through the Gulf of Finland to Russian oil ports on a weekly basis. The ability of these vessels to evade energy sanctions is of paramount importance to the Russian economy.

Martelius highlighted the growing presence of shadow fleet vessels in the Baltic Sea, increasing the likelihood of incidents such as cable breaches. He emphasized the importance of safeguarding critical underwater infrastructure against potential threats from state actors.

While refraining from commenting on ongoing investigations, Martelius urged Western countries to take the threat against their underwater infrastructure seriously. He emphasized that state actors possess more advanced capabilities for causing subsea destruction than simply using anchors.

As the Baltic Sea region remains on high alert, the need for enhanced security measures to protect critical underwater infrastructure has become increasingly crucial.

(Source: Reuters)