Permanent representatives of NATO member countries met in Brussels today and agreed on measures to enhance the Alliance’s presence in the Baltic Sea and protect critical undersea infrastructure following an incident involving damaged undersea cables.
As reported by Ukrinform, this information was released on NATO’s official website.
“Allies met today (30 December 2024) at NATO Headquarters to consult on the security of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, following damage to undersea cables connecting Estonia and Finland on 25 December. The damage to the cables, which is being investigated by Finnish authorities, is one of a number of recent incidents in the Baltic Sea under scrutiny as possible sabotage,” the statement reads.
The Allies expressed full solidarity with Estonia and Finland in connection with the recent incident in the Baltic Sea.
“In order to maintain vigilance, increase situational awareness, and deter future incidents, NATO is enhancing its military presence in the Baltic Sea. Allies are also considering other measures to address potential threats to critical undersea infrastructure, including with the support of NATO’s Maritime Center for Security of Critical Undersea Infrastructure that was established in May of this year,” the statement added.
As previously reported, on December 25, Finnish electricity grid operator Fingrid reported a power outage caused by a malfunction in the undersea cable Estlink 2, which connects Finland and Estonia.
Finland’s Coast Guard detained the Cook Islands-registered oil tanker Eagle S, carrying Russian oil, on suspicion of damaging the power cable and four internet lines.
According to data from MarineTraffic, a service tracking ship movements, the Eagle S Panamax was in the Gulf of Finland near the cable route on Wednesday morning, coinciding with the time of the damage. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Source: NATO to enhance military presence in Baltic Sea following damage to undersea cables
