Baltic Sea Shipping Tax Could Pay for Undersea Cable Protection, Says Estonian Minister

By John Geddie and Tim Kelly

TOKYO, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Shipping firms may need to pay a fee to use the Baltic Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, in order to cover the high costs of protecting undersea cables, Estonia’s defense minister said on Wednesday following a spate of breaches.

NATO said last week it would deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and drones in the Baltic Sea after a series of incidents where ships have damaged power and communications cables with their anchors in acts of suspected sabotage.

In addition to the patrols, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said countries are weighing other measures to protect cables, including installing sensors to detect anchors dragged across the…