The communication cable between Sweden and Estonia in the Baltic Sea has been damaged, Swedish Defense Minister Paul Junsson announced on Tuesday, the Estonian newspaper “Postimees” reports.
Sweden has information that a communications cable connecting the two countries has been damaged, but the cause of the incident is unclear, Junsson said at a specially convened press conference in Stockholm.
He said that the location of the damage was not in Swedish territorial waters and that the cable was still usable.
According to the minister, the cable between Sweden and Estonia was damaged around the same time as the “Balticconnector” gas pipeline and the communication cable connecting Estonia and Finland, which were damaged on October 8, were damaged. Junsson also expressed solidarity with Finland and Estonia.
According to the information provided by the Ministry of Economy and Communications of Estonia, the place of damage is located in the territorial waters of Estonia at a distance of approximately 50 kilometers from the island of Hijuma in the direction of Sweden.
On Monday, the ministry and the Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulation Board received information that the transmission capacity of the communication cable between Estonia and Sweden has decreased in the Gulf of Finland, the ministry said.
The cable is owned by a Swedish company, which restored the cable to its maximum transmission capacity within a few days, and communication continuity has not been affected. Preliminary information shows that there is no reason to connect the damage of the Estonian and Swedish cable with other cables, the ministry said.
“Similar minor damage to this cable has occurred in the past. The reason for the reduction in the transmission power of the cable is not yet known. The owner of the cable is in the process of repairing it, and during this process, in cooperation with Finland and Sweden, the possible cause will be investigated, as well as whether it could be related to damage to the Estonian-Finnish communication cable and gas pipeline,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that the damage to the Estonian-Swedish and Estonian-Finnish underwater communication cables did not affect the operation of Estonian communication services. Communications are continuously ensured, as Estonia has several connections, and in case of damage, it is possible to use either alternatively functioning underwater cables or terrestrial cables with Latvia.
“Last week’s incidents show the vulnerability of critical underwater infrastructure and the need to address this issue. The government has given clear instructions to ministries and plans and has already implemented additional measures to strengthen the monitoring and protection of critical infrastructure both at sea and on land. Increasing the level of monitoring and protection has significant cooperation is needed with our colleagues from Finland and Sweden, with whom we manage infrastructure at sea, as well as with allies in the European Union and NATO, who have also offered their help,” the ministry said.
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2023-10-17 17:25:38
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