Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) vowed on Thursday that Finland will respond decisively to any suspected interference with its undersea infrastructure.
Speaking to reporters, he praised Finnish officials for their swift handling of the situation that began to unfold on the afternoon of Christmas Day, when a major power cable between Finland and Estonia suffered an outage. The following day, officials said that four telecommunications cables connecting Finland under the Baltic Sea were also out of service.
According to Orpo, the matter was tackled decisively and investigative measures were launched immediately.
"This sends a message that Finland aims to tackle this issue and put an end to it," said Orpo. He said he had been in contact with leaders in other Nordic countries, the Baltic States, Poland, Nato and the EU on the matter, among others.
More tools needed to curb shadow fleet
According to Orpo, more methods are needed to crack down on the so-called shadow fleet or 'dark fleet' – defined as old ships with murky ownership that transport oil from sanctioned countries such as Russia. According to the US, such vessels are involved in deceptive maritime practices. They often lack proper insurance and maintenance.
"These shadow ships are pumping money into Russia's war chest so that Russia can continue its war against Ukraine," said the premier. "These ships are constantly being added to sanctions lists, which has already had a major impact."
According to Orpo, 79 shadow vessels have so far been placed on sanctions lists, but maritime officials estimate that more than 400 such ships ply the world’s oceans, with many of them passing through the narrow Baltic Sea.
According to Orpo, work to crack down on these shady ships is in progress. For example, authorities have begun requiring ships in the Baltic Sea to provide valid insurance certificates.
No contact with Russia
The prime minister also pointed to other threats posed by these rustbucket ships.
"These shadow vessels also represent a huge threat to the environment and the sensitive Baltic Sea," he said.
"Our government is doing everything it can to address this issue. Shadow fleets are also a major risk for other Baltic Sea states and the rest of the EU," he said.
Orpo said that it was premature to conclude that Russia was behind the actions. However, the shadow fleet sails on Russia's behalf, he noted. He said that Finnish officials have not been in contact with Russia about the latest incident.
It follows several others in the Baltic since the Balticconnector pipeline between Finland and Estonia was damaged in October 2023.
Better preparedness needed
According to Orpo, the incident stems from Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine. However, he pledged that such incidents would not harm Finland’s energy supply or communications.
"Our security of supply is at a really high level," he said.
Finland must bolster its preparedness for similar situations, Orpo said. Its legislation must also be reviewed in order to improve readiness.
"We cannot and will not look away. We will not accept this. We will grasp [the situation] and intervene, and acquire more tools to do so," he said.