Finland’s Border Guard says it plans to establish a maritime surveillance centre to help prevent damage to critical undersea infrastructure in the Gulf of Finland, amid heightened concerns over cable and pipeline security in the Baltic Sea.
The Baltic region has been on high alert following a series of power cable, telecommunications and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The latest incident occurred on New Year’s Eve, when Finnish authorities seized a cargo vessel travelling from Russia to Israel on suspicion of sabotaging an undersea telecoms cable.
The planned Finnish centre will be developed in cooperation with other Baltic Sea states and the European Commission, and forms part of a wider EU action plan proposed last year to strengthen the protection of submarine cables.
“We are developing, and we have the need for, broader preventive measures, even before any harm has occurred,” said Mikko Hirvi, head of maritime safety and security at the Finnish Border Guard.
He said the measures would include seabed sensors, artificial intelligence tools to analyse maritime traffic in real time, and closer information-sharing with allies. Hirvi declined to say which capabilities are already operational.
The surveillance centre will be built gradually using the Border Guard’s existing resources, and Finland also plans to seek European Union funding for the project.
NATO has stepped up its military presence in the Baltic Sea region with frigates, aircraft and naval drones following repeated infrastructure incidents.
Finnish authorities have previously boarded and seized two vessels suspected of damaging seabed cables by dragging their anchors: the oil tanker Eagle S in December 2024 and the cargo vessel Fitburg in December 2025.
“By seizing the ships, authorities managed to prevent further damage from happening,” Hirvi said.
Mikko Simola, commander of the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District, said officials monitor unusual changes in vessels’ speed or course.
“For the past year in particular, we have focused on obtaining real-time information about vessel deviations,” he said.
Jars of baby food deliberately tampered with rat poison and discovered in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia were part of an attempted extort...
The architect of the modern K-pop boom, Bang Si-hyuk, is facing arrest by South Korean police over claims he illegall...
The escalating conflict involving Iran, the U.S. and Israel is fuelling what could become the most severe energy crisis the world has ever faced, a...
China's domestic automakers have a message for the boardrooms of premium German brands such as Porsche, Mer...
Prospects for new peace talks between Iran and the U.S. are “dim,” with both sides operating on false ass...
The architect of the modern K-pop boom, Bang Si-hyuk, is facing arrest by South Korean police over claims he illegally gained millions in an investor fraud scheme.
China's domestic automakers have a message for the boardrooms of premium German brands such as Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW: We are coming for your customers, and we are armed with superior technology at a fraction of the cost.
Prospects for new peace talks between Iran and the U.S. are “dim,” with both sides operating on false assumptions, a political analyst told AnewZ.
A Canadian woman has been shot dead and 13 others injured in a shooting at the Teotihuacan pyramids on Monday, one of Mexico’s most visited tourist attractions.
Iran accuses the United States of breaching a ceasefire after a commercial ship was seized in the Gulf of Oman, vowing retaliation, as Israel warns south Lebanon residents to avoid restricted areas.
Progessive Bulgaria, led by pro-Russian Eurosceptic Rumen Radev is on track to form Bulgaria’s next government, after official results showed a runaway victory for the coalition in the Balkan nation's parliamentary elections on Monday (20 April).
Pakistan is confident it can bring Iran to talks with the United States, a senior official said, citing “positive signals” from Tehran, as JD Vance is reportedly set to visit Islamabad on Tuesday for peace talks, according to Axios.
A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake has struck off Japan’s north-eastern coast, triggering urgent tsunami warnings with waves of up to 3 metres expected, prompting residents to seek immediate safety.
Blue Origin, the U.S. space company of billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, successfully reused and recovered a booster for its New Glenn rocket launched from Florida on Sunday (19 April), in the latest chapter of its intensifying rivalry with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The escalating conflict involving Iran, the U.S. and Israel is fuelling what could become the most severe energy crisis the world has ever faced, according to the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
A Canadian woman has been shot dead and 13 others injured in a shooting at the Teotihuacan pyramids on Monday, one of Mexico’s most visited tourist attractions.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 21st of April, covering the latest developments you need to know
Japan on Tuesday unveiled its biggest overhaul of defence export rules in decades, scrapping restrictions on overseas arms sales and opening the way for exports of warships, missiles and other weapons.
Hungarian election winner Péter Magyar on Monday nominated András Kármán as finance minister, Anita Orbán as foreign minister and István Kapitány as economy and energy minister in his incoming government, as previously indicated.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment