Border Guard joins EU maritime operation in Baltic Sea

The Finnish Border Guard is participating in the EU’s Multipurpose Maritime Operation (MMO) in the Baltic Sea area began on Wednesday, said an official press release.

Finland’s coast guard authorities are participate in the operation with the leadership of the Border Guard, coordinated by Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.

The operation will be continued until October 30.

During the operation, authorities will carry out jointly coordinated law enforcement actions in the Baltic Sea region, including border surveillance at sea, combatting oil spills from ships, maritime rescue, as well as monitoring of fishing and water traffic.

The first Multipurpose Maritime Operation was organized in the Baltic Sea in 2023. The goal of the 2024 operation is to promote international and regional cooperation among coast guard authorities in the Baltic Sea region.

The operation also aims to efficiently integrate the services of EU agencies with the capabilities of national coast guard authorities.

The services of the EU agencies include, among other things, unmanned aerial systems (RPAS) suitable for maritime surveillance, other systems used for maritime monitoring, and satellite services utilized in creating a maritime situational picture.

In addition to the Finnish Border Guard, the operation involves experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, the Southwest Finland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre), and the Government of Åland.

Other EU member states participating in the operation besides Finland are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, as well as the EU agencies European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA).

The importance of national and international cooperation is emphasized in the Baltic Sea region, which is one of the busiest maritime areas in the world.

Extensive cooperation among coastal guard authorities between Finland and the countries of the northern Baltic Sea is already in place, and the multidisciplinary maritime operation now starting will further develop this cooperation.