Estonia building undersea cable repair capabilities as threats grow in Baltic Sea

SINGAPORE – Estonia is looking to beef up its capabilities to repair submarine cables and monitor their security in the Baltic Sea, in the light of the growing threats to such critical infrastructure, said the country’s deputy minister for maritime and water affairs.

“We are trying to develop national cable repair capabilities. We cannot be 100 per cent dependent on the private sector,” Mr Kaupo Laanerand said in an interview with The Straits Times on March 26.

“This is important because even if somebody has bad intentions, they know we can repair the damage fast, and the damage to us is smaller.”

The US-led Nato military alliance warned in 2023 that there is a “significant risk” Russia could target critical infrastructure in Europe or North America, including gas pipelines and internet cables, as it faces off with the West over the war in Ukraine.

On Christmas Day in 2024, a submarine cable carrying electricity between Finland and Estonia was

severed in the Baltic Sea.

The Finnish authorities later seized a ship carrying Russian oil in the Baltic Sea on suspicion that it had damaged the Estlink 2 cable.

At the time, the Finnish authorities suspected that the anchor of the Cook Islands-registered ship had caused the damage.

The ship is believed to be a part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet – assembled to circumvent sanctions on Russian energy exports imposed following its war with Ukraine. Moscow has denied any involvement in the incident.

Repairs to Estlink-2 are ongoing and are expected to be completed in late spring 2025.

Reflecting on the aftermath of the incident, Mr Laanerand highlighted key lessons for the global community.

He stressed the importance of countries being well-versed in maritime legislation when such incidents occur.

“Have your chain of command ready to act. You have to know when and who will board the vessel (that is suspected of causing the damage). You cannot have your discussion at the national level then. It is too late.”

Beyond legal frameworks, countries must also be familiar with interpreting international maritime law and the basis on which they should be prepared to act, he added.

To repair the damaged cables, entities that own them need to mobilise repair vessels with specialised crew, and the waiting time could take months. There are around 20 of such repair ships for hire globally.

It is also important to have a fleet of repair ships that can operate in all weather conditions, the deputy minister said.

Additionally, Estonia is looking to develop a system to maintain real-time situational awareness of its waters. He said this would help in locating damage when sabotage occurs.

“There are many modern solutions to obtain this information, including solutions that are supported by AI (artificial intelligence),” Mr Laanerand said.

Estonia will continue to exchange information and views with like-minded nations, he said, adding that it is hosting an international conference in April on maritime law and how it relates to critical undersea infrastructure.

Mr Laanerand was speaking to ST on the sidelines of the Singapore Maritime Week, an annual event organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore that brings together global maritime leaders and industry representatives.

There are dozens of internet and power cables laid on the seabed of the Baltic Sea, which borders eight Nato member states as well as Russia.

There have been a series of incidents causing damage to cables and pipelines over the past few years, pointing to the possibility of grey-zone aggression. Such actions are designed to intimidate while stopping short of a conventional war.

In the meantime, Nato has beefed up its defence of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, with warships, drones and patrol aircraft being deployed to deter more of such suspected attacks.

“Nato is really taking steps to be more prepared and more resilient in the future. The Nato presence sends a strong message to those who want to damage the cables,” Mr Laanerand said.

He cautioned against underestimating such incidents, especially when many countries might think the Baltic Sea is far away.

“I see that Singapore takes this seriously. It is good that you are preparing, and you are thinking about it, because the worst thing you can do is to think that this happened far away and not do anything.”