Estonia Launches Naval Operation to Protect Baltic Sea Power Link Following Outages
Estonia’s armed forces have initiated a naval operation to safeguard the Estlink 1 undersea power cable in the Baltic Sea after a power outage earlier this week affected a parallel electricity line. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna confirmed the operation on Friday, following Finland’s actions to seize a ship suspected of causing damage to the Estlink 2 undersea power cable, which, like Estlink 1, connects Finland and Estonia. The same vessel is also believed to have damaged four internet lines.
The outages have raised concerns among Baltic Sea nations, with heightened vigilance for potential acts of sabotage. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there has been a series of incidents involving the damage of power cables, telecom links, and gas pipelines in the region. However, some experts believe that these frequent damages, particularly to subsea infrastructure, may no longer be the result of accidents or technical malfunctions.
Finnish authorities suspect that the ship, registered in the Cook Islands and named the Eagle S, caused the outage by dragging its anchor along the seabed, a type of incident that has occurred several times in recent years.
Minister Tsahkna emphasized the importance of protecting critical undersea infrastructure, stating, “If there is a threat to the critical undersea infrastructure in our region, there will also be a response.”
The Estlink 2 outage, which began at midday on Wednesday, disrupted 658 megawatts (MW) of power, leaving only the 358 MW Estlink 1 in operation between the two countries. As a precautionary measure, Estonia deployed the Raju patrol ship to monitor the waters around the Estlink 1 cable. Estonia also expressed hopes that NATO allies would assist in the protection of this critical infrastructure.
The incidents highlight the growing concerns over the security of vital subsea infrastructure in the Baltic region, amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
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