Estonian Navy to Guard Baltic Power Cables After Christmas Day Incident

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said a ship allegedly responsible for cutting Estlink 1 was part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.

The oil tanker Eagle S is shadowed by the Finnish Border Guard ship Turva in the Baltic Sea off Porkkalanniemi, Finland. on Dec. 26, 2024. Rajavartiosto-Finnish Border Guard-via AP

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna says the country’s navy has been drafted to protect the Estlink 1 undersea power cable in the Baltic Sea.

Finnish authorities detained a ship, the oil tanker Eagle S, linked to Russia, as they investigated damage to the Estlink 2 Baltic Sea power cable—which links Estonia and Finland—on Dec. 25.

“If there is a threat to the critical undersea infrastructure in our region, there will also be a response,” Tsahkna wrote on X on Friday.

“The Estonian defense forces have launched a naval operation to protect the EstLink 1 undersea cable.”

Later, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte wrote on X that he had spoken to Finnish Prime Minister Alex Stubb about the Finnish-led investigation into possible sabotage of undersea cables.

“I expressed my full solidarity and support. NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea,” Rutte said.

Estonia has been a NATO member since 2004, while Finland joined last year, jettisoning a decades-long history of neutrality, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Helsinki police chief Jari Liukku said Finnish police and border guards boarded the Eagle S early on Dec. 26 and took over the bridge.

He said the ship, which flies the flag of the Cook Islands, was being held in Finnish territorial waters.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the Christmas Day incident was “the latest in a series of suspected attacks on critical infrastructure.”

Kallas, a former Estonian prime minister, praised the Finnish authorities “for their swift action in boarding the suspected vessel.”

She said the Eagle S was “part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment while funding Russia’s war budget.”

“We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to target this fleet,” she said.

A week ago, Germany, Poland, the UK, the Netherlands, five Nordic nations, and the three Baltic states agreed to plans to “disrupt and deter” Russia’s shadow fleet.

The plans included adding them to sanctions lists if they do not provide proof of insurance.

The Cook Islands is an archipelago in the South Pacific that is technically self-governing while in “free association” with New Zealand.

It is often chosen as what is known as a “flag of convenience” for ship owners, some of whom have been accused of trying to disguise their connections to states such as Russia and Iran.

The nonprofit United Against Nuclear Iran said in August, “Since the start of 2024, the Cook Islands has added some 35 ‘ghost armada’ vessels ... to its registry.”

The Estonian government met in an emergency session over the Dec. 25 incident.

Estonian President Alar Karis wrote on X on Thursday: “Repeated damage to Baltic Sea infrastructure signals a systemic threat, not mere accidents.

“Estonia will take action to counter this threat, together with Finland and other NATO allies.”

At a news conference, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said the shadow tankers were “helping Russia to earn funds that will aid Russian hybrid attacks.”

“We need to improve the monitoring and protection of critical infrastructure both on land and on sea,” he said.

Michal said repairs to the Estlink-2 cable could take up to seven months.

Network operator Elering said the cable incident would not force power cuts in Estonia as there was enough spare capacity to meet the demand for power, public broadcaster ERR said on its website.

It also quoted Elering CEO Kalle Kilk as saying Estonia would go ahead in February with a project—which has taken 20 years—to disconnect from the Russian electricity system and synchronize with the central European frequency.

Latest Baltic Cable Damage

The Christmas Day incident was the latest in a series involving cables and pipes under the Baltic.

Two undersea fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged in November.

First, on Nov. 17, a cable between Lithuania and Sweden was severed on Nov. 17, and then, less than 24 hours later, another link between Finland and Germany was cut.

A Chinese bulk carrier, the Yi Peng 3, has been cast as the prime suspect because its movements coincided with both incidents.

But Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, in comments to the Financial Times on Dec. 22, said China had refused investigators full access to the Yi Peng 3.

In September 2022, the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, transporting gas under the Baltic, were ruptured by a series of blasts in the Swedish and Danish economic zones that released vast amounts of methane into the air.

The incident took place seven months after Russia invaded Ukraine, but both Moscow and Kyiv have denied responsibility.