Nordic Gas Pipeline Leak Prompts North European Nations To Boost Naval Presence For Protecting Baltic Sea Infrastructure

Following gas pipeline leakages, 10 northern European countries agreed on Tuesday to increase their naval presence throughout the Baltic Sea to safeguard crucial infrastructure. Following a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force’s (JEF) defense ministers, the group announced the activation of “a JEF Response Option.”

It involves maritime and air capabilities that will be deployed across the JEF’s core zone as a military commitment to safeguarding key undersea infrastructure, according to a joint declaration issued by the ministers.

This marks the first time that a JEF Response Option got initiated, the team said, adding that activity will occur in early December.

In October, leaders from the group’s member countries agreed to strengthen underwater infrastructure protection after a pipeline linking Finland and Estonia suffered a leak, which was thought to be the product of “external” action.

According to the Finnish police, the pipeline was destroyed by an anchor from a Chinese ship. It is about performing maritime surveillance; approximately 20 battleships will be operating in the Baltic Sea as well as sections of the North Atlantic to assess the safety situation and better defend critical underwater infrastructure, according to Pal Jonson, Sweden’s Minister of Defence.

Jonson did not state that the activity was in regard to a specific danger but rather that it was a symptom of a critical security situation around the world, particularly in the Middle East.

A series of underwater bombs broke the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which delivered natural gas to Western Europe from Russia, in September 2022, during a period of intense geopolitical tensions as Moscow reduced gas supplies to Europe.

The JEF is a coalition of ten northern European countries focused on security, comprising the Netherlands, UK, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Sweden, and Norway.

Reference- News18

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Source: Maritime Shipping News