Shipping firms may need to pay a tax to use the Baltic Sea to fund costly protection for underwater cables, says Estonia’s defence minister.
Hanno Pevkur said the move may be needed after a series of incidents where vessels allegedly linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet” have damaged power and communications cables with their anchors in acts of suspected sabotage by Vladimir Putin’s regime.
“Let’s say that when you go to the airport you have the landing fee, you have the airport fee and this is paid in the ticket,” he said, speaking in Tokyo.
“So in one moment maybe we will see that when you are passing through the Danish straits there will be a cost for the companies to pay this because this is basically an insurance fee to damaging the cables.”
Swedish authorities seized a Maltese-flagged ship on Monday in connection with damage caused to a cable running between Latvia and Sweden, one of four similar incidents in just over a year that have also affected power and telecoms lines running between Estonia and Finland.
Mr Pevkur said while official investigations are ongoing, the series of incidents point to coordinated action by ships that are part of Russia’s “shadow fleet”.
“When we see that all those ships are part of the shadow fleet of Russia although having different flags on their tail...then of course you know we have to connect the dots,” he explained.
Nato countries have stepped up patrols to protect critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, which is bordered by eight countries, and other waters.
The vessel, the Yantar, swiftly departed for the Mediterranean but returned recently and was monitored through the Channel by HMS Somerset.
Countries are weighing other measures to protect cables, including installing sensors to detect anchors dragged across the sea floor or constructing casings or walls around the cables.
But this will come at a cost, and whether countries or cable operators end up paying for it, consumers may be left ultimately footing the bill through higher taxes or utility costs.
Globally, around 150 undersea cables are damaged each year, according to the UK-based International Cable Protection Committee.
The telecoms cables, power lines and gas pipes in the shallow Baltic are seen as particularly vulnerable due to its very intense traffic, with as many as 4000 ships crossing its surface every day, according to some estimates.
Moscow has accused Western countries of making “evidence-free” assertions about its involvement in the incidents.
