Finnish Authorities Board Ship In Baltic Sea During Live Exercise To Protect Undersea Cables

Finnish authorities boarded and searched a vessel in the Baltic Sea on Thursday, Sept. 17, as part of a live exercise to prepare for possible damage to underwater infrastructure.

Masked officers from the coast guard, police and armed forces fast-roped from a helicopter onto the vessel. They secured the crew and searched the ship room by room.

The exercise comes after several incidents involving power cables, telecommunications lines and gas pipelines in Finland and the Baltic Sea region since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Finnish officials said the incidents have led them to improve their response to vessels suspected of damaging underwater infrastructure.

Coast Guard Commander Ilja Iljin, who led the exercise, said authorities must be ready for another incident.

Iljin said the latest incident happened less than a year ago. He described the situation as the “new normal”.

Finland’s response has become faster after each incident.

The first suspect ship left before authorities could take action. In the most recent case, authorities had the vessel under control within hours.

Police are also preparing to respond quickly if another incident happens.

Chief Inspector Juha Hietala of the police’s special intervention unit said officers on standby can reach their base within an hour. They can then travel by helicopter or boat.

The drill involved the coast guard, police and armed forces. The teams boarded the vessel, secured the crew and searched the ship.

Officials said this was the third exercise of its kind. It was the first one held in the Baltic Sea and focused on boarding vessels and protecting critical underwater infrastructure.

Most of the incidents so far have involved ships dragging their anchors, officials said.

But Finnish authorities are also preparing for possible sabotage involving divers, mini-submarines or diving robots carrying explosives.
Authorities are also watching how ships move near underwater cables.

Iljin said sudden changes in a vessel’s speed or course while it is passing over an undersea line could be a sign that it may be involved in cable damage.

The Finnish government is separately seeking new powers for the Border Guard authority, including the coast guard.

The proposed powers would allow authorities to stop and inspect ships suspected of being stateless or falsely flagged. They would also allow authorities to intervene against unmanned underwater vehicles.

Iljin said the next incident could happen “tonight” or in a few months.

References: Reuters, globalbankingandfinance