NATO to deploy nearly a dozen ships to the Baltic Sea, raising military deterrent against further damage to undersea cables

By the end of the week, NATO will deploy “about 10” ships to guard underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, according to Yle, Finland's national public broadcaster. Finnish and Estonian ships will be primarily responsible for patrols, while vessels from other NATO members will be stationed near energy and communication cables. The deployment fulfills a promise by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on December 27 to “enhance [NATO’s] military presence in the Baltic Sea.”

The Swedish submarine rescue ship HSwMS Belos recently discovered and retrieved the anchor of the tanker Eagle S from the bottom of the Gulf of Finland. On January 3, a Finnish court upheld the seizure of the Eagle S, which is suspected of damaging the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 undersea power line and four telecommunications cables by dragging its anchor line on the seabed over “several tens of kilometers.” Finnish officials also believe the ship belongs to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of tankers carrying Russian crude sold above the West's $60-per-barrel price cap.

Undersea cables in the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland have suffered damage on three separate occasions in recent months. In addition to this most recent incident, a communication cable connecting Sweden, Lithuania, Finland, and Germany was damaged in November. In October 2023, the Balticconnector gas pipeline and communication cables were also damaged.