Shipping companies using the Baltic Sea may soon be required to pay a fee to help finance the protection of vital undersea cables, Estonia’s Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur announced on Wednesday. The proposal comes in response to growing concerns over acts of suspected sabotage targeting power and communication lines in one of the world’s busiest maritime routes.
The Baltic Sea, bordered by eight NATO nations and Russia, has recently seen a series of alarming incidents involving ships allegedly damaging critical infrastructure with their anchors. In response, NATO has committed to deploying frigates, patrol aircraft, and drones to enhance security. However, Pevkur warned that physical measures such as installing sensors or encasing cables in protective structures would come at a high cost, which could ultimately be passed down to consumers through taxes or utility rate hikes.
To offset these expenses, Estonia is considering imposing a tax on vessels transiting the Danish Straits. Comparing it to airport landing fees, Pevkur suggested that such a charge could function as an “insurance fee” to mitigate the risks posed by maritime traffic. “Maybe in the future, shipping firms will have to pay when passing through the Baltic Sea, just as they do at airports,” Pevkur told Reuters during an interview in Tokyo.
The region’s shallow waters and heavy shipping traffic—estimated at 4,000 vessels per day—make it especially vulnerable to undersea sabotage. According to the UK-based International Cable Protection Committee, around 150 undersea cables are damaged globally each year. The Baltic, however, has been a recent hotspot for suspected targeted attacks.
Earlier this week, Swedish authorities detained a Maltese-flagged ship in connection with damage to a cable linking Latvia and Sweden. This was one of four such incidents within the past year, with similar attacks affecting infrastructure between Estonia and Finland. While investigations are ongoing, Pevkur pointed to a pattern of Russian involvement, linking the damaged cables to ships suspected of being part of Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet.”
“When we see that all those ships are part of Russia’s shadow fleet, although flying different flags, we must connect the dots,” Pevkur stated.
Moscow, however, has dismissed these claims, accusing Western nations of making baseless allegations without presenting concrete evidence.
As Baltic nations seek solutions, Estonia is urging regional partners to agree on a unified response to the growing threat. Whether that involves new security measures, heightened military patrols, or an additional levy on shipping firms, one thing is clear: the fight to secure the Baltic Sea’s vital infrastructure is far from over.
