Sweden has deployed its HMS Carlskrona patrol vessel under NATO command for maritime surveillance in the Baltic Sea.
HMS Carlskrona can serve as a lead ship, providing logistical support such as spare parts and fuel and hosting a helicopter on board.
The deployment is part of the alliance’s Baltic Sentry operation, launched last month to enhance security around underwater communication cables and pipelines and prevent potential attacks or sabotage.
It is the second vessel from Stockholm to join NATO’s naval forces.
During previous missions, the ship participated in two rotations of the EU’s Operation Atalanta, aimed at countering piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
For its first mission in 2010, HMS Carlskrona patrolled Somali waters, equipped with extra close-range weapons and a RIB boat for rapid boarding of suspected pirate vessels.
Baltic Security
Sweden is progressively increasing its participation in NATO’s collective defense initiatives amid growing security concerns across Baltic and Scandinavian waters.
In December last year, damage occurred to the Estlink 2 electricity cable and four telecom cables in undersea areas between Finland and Estonia.
The Eagle S, an oil tanker believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” — vessels transporting embargoed Russian oil — has come under suspicion for the incident.
In November 2024, sections of two telecom cables were severed in Swedish waters.
Investigators linked the damage to a Chinese ship, which was detected passing over the cables at the time of the incident.
