Estonia deploys navy to secure Baltic Sea power cable

Following this week's outage of the Estlink 2 power cable under the Baltic Sea, Estonia said on Friday that it will use military patrol ships to protect the Estlink 1 line to Finland.

"We've decided to send our navy close to Estlink 1 to defend and secure our energy connection," wrote Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur on X.

The move was agreed with armed forces chief Andrus Merilo and will ensure that the important link will remain undamaged and operational, Pevkur said on Estonian radio.

The Estlink 2 cable between the two Baltic neighbours was interrupted on Wednesday in what Finnish authorities suspect may have been an act of sabotage.

Following the disturbance, they detained the Cook Islands-flagged oil tanker Eagle S, the anchor of which is thought to have damaged the cable.

According to the EU, the ship could belong to the so-called Russian shadow fleet - tankers and other cargo ships that Russia uses unofficially to circumvent sanctions on oil transport, for example.

Over the holiday season, disruptions to communication cables in the Baltic Sea were also reported.

According to a report by Finnish broadcaster YLE, three cables run between Finland and Estonia and one between Finland and Germany. Investigations into the causes of the failures are ongoing.

"Of course, the investigation must uncover all the details of the breakage of the Estlink 2 cable and the communication cables," Pevkur said in a statement by his ministry.

"But our task is to immediately send a clear message that we are ready to protect the connections between Estonia and Finland, even by military means if necessary."

There is heightened vigilance against possible sabotage in several countries on the Baltic Sea following the recent failures and disruptions of power cables, gas pipelines and telecomms links.

According to initial estimates by the network operators, the repair of the 170-kilometre Estlink 2 connection could take several months. However, Estonian and Finnish authorities do not expect a major impact on consumers.