Shipping companies may be required to pay a fee for using the Baltic Sea - one of the busiest sea routes in the world. This was stated by the Minister of Defense of Estonia Hanno Pevkur, quoted by "Reuters" and News.bg.
The aim is to cover the high costs of protecting undersea cables, after accidents involving damage to telecommunications and energy links have become more frequent in recent years.
Last week, NATO announced it would deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and drones to the Baltic Sea after a series of incidents in which ships damaged communication and power cables, often in suspected sabotage.
In addition to the increased military presence, Minister Pevkur said that countries are discussing additional measures to protect the cables, such as installing sensors to detect anchors dragged along the seabed or building shells around them.
However, financing these measures raises the question of who will bear the costs. According to Pevkur, consumers could end up being burdened with additional taxes or increased utility bills. Another option is to introduce a Baltic Sea transit fee, similar to airport fees, which companies would pay as an “insurance fee“ against potential damage to the cables.
According to the International Cable Protection Committee, around 150 submarine cables are damaged worldwide every year. In the shallow Baltic Sea, communication and power lines are particularly vulnerable due to the intense traffic, with some estimates suggesting around 4,000 ships sailing there daily.
Tensions on the subject grew after Swedish authorities detained the Bulgarian ship "Vezhen", flying the Maltese flag, on Monday in connection with a cable damage between Latvia and Sweden - one of four such incidents in just over a year. Power lines and telecommunications lines between Estonia and Finland were also affected.
Pevkur stressed that while official investigations are ongoing, there are suspicions of coordinated actions by ships linked to Russia's so-called "shadow fleet".
"When we see that all these ships belong to Russia's shadow fleet, even though they sail under different flags, we cannot help but connect the facts," he commented.
Moscow, for its part, accused Western countries of baseless allegations and denied any involvement in such incidents.