Elizabeth Bravo, a senior analyst and researcher at the Atlantic Council, in her new book titled Underwater Warfare: The International Battle for Dominance in the Depths of the World, explores the challenges related to damage to underwater infrastructure and legal methods to counter these threats.
Recent Incidents and Damage to Infrastructure
Bravo refers in this book to an incident that occurred on Christmas Day 2024. The tanker Eagle S, sailing under the flag of the Cook Islands, was accused of dragging its anchor 90 kilometers across the seabed of the Gulf of Finland. This action resulted in the disruption of the Estlink 2 power line and four other telecommunications cables, prompting Finnish authorities to take action.
According to Bravo, this method of damaging underwater infrastructure is very simple, and the use of commercial vessels for this purpose can clearly pose a serious threat to maritime security.
Legal Challenges and Government Responses
The actions of the crew of the tanker Eagle S, claiming that the damage was accidental and not intentional, have been examined in Finnish courts. A court in Finland initially stated that it did not have jurisdiction over this incident, but the appeals court overturned this decision in August of this year and sent the case back for reconsideration. This confrontation between maritime laws and emerging threats runs throughout Bravo's book.
Bravo notes that European governments are currently better prepared than in 2021, pointing to improved coordination among Baltic Sea countries. She also addresses similar challenges that Taiwan faces in dealing with maritime pressures.
This book examines critical infrastructure in various regions from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean and illustrates the dependency of modern economies on these infrastructures through interviews with naval officers, underwater engineers, and cable operators.
Bravo believes that given the current circumstances, coastal governments must be very cautious about the actions they can take against threats from foreign vessels. This is particularly significant in the context of international maritime law.
The book Underwater Warfare has recently been published and provides a comprehensive examination of the threats to marine infrastructure, showing that these issues have become increasingly important in today's world.
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