The initiative, led by Finland’s Border Guard, will work with the European Commission and other Baltic Sea states to improve monitoring of critical cables and pipelines that carry electricity, data and energy across northern Europe.
Rather than simply responding after incidents occur, officials say the centre will focus on prevention and early warning. It aims to pool information on vessel movements and unusual sea activity in real time, sharing analyses and risk assessments with neighbouring countries and EU partners.
Measures under consideration include deploying seabed sensors, using AI to analyse maritime traffic and facilitating faster data exchange between allied authorities. The centre will be built gradually, drawing on existing border guard and coastguard capabilities, with Finland also looking to tap EU funding.
The move comes amid growing concerns over a string of incidents in the broader Baltic Sea region that have highlighted vulnerabilities in undersea networks.
In the past two years, several power and communications cables have been damaged, raising alarm among Nordic and EU governments about the resilience of infrastructure that underpins energy supplies and international connectivity.
Most recently, Finnish authorities seized a cargo vessel in late 2025 after it was found in proximity to a damaged telecommunications cable linking Helsinki and Tallinn, underlining the operational challenges of securing underwater assets.
While no single cause has been officially confirmed for these disruptions, they have coincided with heightened regional tensions since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prompting a broader rethink of maritime security in the Baltic. Nato has increased its presence in the area with additional patrols and surveillance assets.
The new centre reflects Finland’s belief that better situational awareness and cooperation across borders is essential to safeguarding infrastructure that tens of millions of Europeans rely on for power and communications every day.
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