The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District has noted an increase in the number of shipping vessels moving in the gulf without their automatic identification systems (AIS) showing their location.
AIS is normally used in tandem with radar equipment as a way of avoiding collisions. The tech also allows maritime authorities to monitor vessel movements.
According to the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District's Deputy Commander Ilja Iljin, ships with AIS anomalies are detected every week, and the issue began to increase last summer.
"Before last summer they were sporadic. Now the number varies, but I'd estimate that we detect an average of 10 anomalies per week," Iljin said.
According to the deputy commander, the situation is likely related to circumventing Russian sanctions, as some ships want to conceal their location from international authorities.
He said another possibility could be that the radio frequencies used by AIS are being disrupted in eastern areas of the Gulf of Finland, preventing the ships from transmitting them.
Apart from certain, limited circumstances, the ships sailing in the Gulf of Finland are in international waters and authorities in the surrounding region are unable to interfere with their operations.
The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District's area of responsibility extends from Hanko to the eastern Gulf of Finland, and the maritime border between Finland and Russia, according to the agency.