Estonia Proposes Baltic Shipping Fee to Fund Subsea Infrastructure Protection

Shipping companies using the Baltic Sea, one of the world’s busiest maritime routes, may face a new fee to help finance the protection of critical undersea cables, Estonia’s defense minister suggested on Wednesday. The proposal comes in response to a series of breaches that have raised security concerns.

Last week, NATO announced plans to deploy frigates, patrol aircraft, and drones in the Baltic Sea following multiple incidents where ships allegedly damaged power and communication cables with their anchors in suspected acts of sabotage.

Beyond military patrols, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur emphasized the need for additional security measures, including the installation of sensors to detect anchor movements on the seabed and the construction of protective casings or barriers around vulnerable cables. However, such measures come with significant costs, which could ultimately be passed on to consumers through taxes or higher utility rates.

As an alternative, Pevkur proposed imposing a fee on ships transiting the Baltic Sea, which is bordered by eight NATO countries and Russia.

“When you go to an airport, you pay landing and airport fees, which are included in ticket prices,” Pevkur explained in an interview with Reuters in Tokyo. “In the future, we might see a similar