Minister: Baltic Sea shipping tax could pay for undersea cable protection

Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) has floated the idea of a Baltic Sea shipping tax to fund the protection of undersea cables after a spate of breakages over the last 18 months, the Straits Times reported.
The minister told Reuters news agency shipping firms may need to pay a fee to use the sea, one of the world's busiest shipping routes, to cover the high costs of protecting undersea cables.
Pevkur said countries are weighing other measures to protect cables, including installing sensors to detect anchors dragged across the sea floor or constructing casings or walls around the cables.
Another option, he said, is levying a tax on vessels that sail through the Baltic Sea, that is bordered by eight NATO countries and Russia.
"Let's say that when you go to the airport you have the landing fee, you have the airport fee and this is paid in the ticket," the minister told Reuters in an interview in Tokyo.
"So in one moment maybe we will see that when you are passing through the Danish straits there will be a cost for the companies to pay this because this is basically an insurance fee to damaging the cables."
Over the past 18 months, several electricity and telecommunications cables have broken in the Baltic impacting Finland, Sweden, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. In several incidents, ships dragging their anchors has been to blame.
The most recent incident occurred in Swedish waters on Sunday and a ship has been Maltese-flagged vessel has been detained. It is suspected to have broken a data cable connecting Latvia and the island of Gotland.
On Christmas Day, the electricity cable EstLink 2, running between Estonia and Finland, was damaged and a ship has been detained by Finnish law enforcement agencies.
Pevkur in Tokyo: Estonia and Japan face similar security challenges

The Estonian defense minister visited South Korea and Japan this week to discuss common problems and strengthening ties.
On Wednesday, Pevkur met with Minister of Defense of Japan Gen. Nakatani to discuss defense cooperation and supporting Ukraine.
"Estonia and Japan share similar security perspectives, as well as challenges. Cyberattacks from Russia and China, maritime and airspace violations, and the protection of critical infrastructure are just a few examples of the common security issues we face," he said in a statement.
Pevkur said Japan is a "key like-minded partner for NATO allies in Asia" and supports Ukraine. This provides a "strong foundation" for deepening defense cooperation.
"Particularly in the defense industry, where we see great potential for deepening our collaboration," he said following the meeting with the general. An Estonian Defense and Aerospace Industry Association's business delegation accompanied the minister on his visit.
Pevkur also spoke at the Tokyo Global Dialogue conference and participated in a panel.
Earlier in the week, the minister visited South Korea and said Estonia wants to strengthen defense cooperation with the country. This was the first visit to Seoul by an Estonian defense minister.
Japanese troops to participate in Estonian military exercise

Pevkur also said Japanese forces will take part in Estonia's biggest annual military exercise Siil (Hedgehog) this year.
"I am also pleased that our invitation for Japan Self-Defense Forces to participate in the large-scale exercise Siil received a positive response," Pevkur said in the press release.
The multi-week exercise takes place in the spring and involves thousands of troops from the Estonian Defense Forces, volunteers from the Defense League, and NATO allies.
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Editor: Helen Wright