00:00A suspicious freighter off the coast of Estonia, detected by the Sakala, a vessel of the Estonian
00:09Navy on patrol in the Baltic Sea.
00:14As we approach the freighter, the soldier's suspicions are confirmed.
00:18This is no ordinary ship, but a Russian oil tanker flying a false flag, possibly part
00:25of Putin's so-called Shadow Fleet.
00:33As the Sakala draws closer, the crew checks for any suspicious activity, whether the ship
00:38suddenly slows down, makes a sudden turn or refuses to communicate.
00:47Missions like this have become routine for Captain Kantz and his crew.
00:52Yesterday we saw something hanging from an anchor chain from one cargo vessel.
01:00So we went closer, we contacted the vessel and we checked, actually it wasn't anything
01:07else but it was just a fire hose tangled in the anchor chain.
01:14In times of war, the Sakala is a minesweeper, specialized for the finding and disarming
01:19of sea mines.
01:22Its current mission, however, is patrolling the Gulf of Finland for NATO, together with
01:26two other Estonian warships.
01:33It's the Alliance's response to suspected acts of sabotage, which have increased in
01:38the Baltic Sea in recent months.
01:41Ships from the Russian Shadow Fleet are among those being investigated.
01:48The shadowy tankers have been cruising local fishing grounds for three years now.
01:53Heiko Heitur is a passionate local fisherman.
01:56He supplies restaurants here in Pihlaspea, northern Estonia, with mackerel, salmon, trout
02:02and perch.
02:06The situation in the Baltic Sea is a real worry.
02:11There are lots of these big ships in the sea.
02:18They're standing around waiting to sail on to Russia.
02:21We have no choice but to come to terms with the situation and to deal with the danger
02:25posed by the ships.
02:29Ships that are often old and poorly insured.
02:32Western authorities believe Moscow is using them to evade sanctions and as a tool of hybrid
02:38warfare against the West.
02:44A shipwreck dumping thousands of tons of oil into the sea would have dramatic environmental
02:49consequences.
02:51Heiko Heitur, retrieving today's catch, knows this better than most.
02:56If something were to happen, the fishing would be over.
03:02Pollution could spread quite quickly.
03:05That's the biggest danger, I think.
03:10NATO's increased presence in the Baltic Sea is intended to provide security.
03:15But many Estonians are not only worried about Moscow.
03:19Following Donald Trump's recent statements, they fear a US withdrawal from NATO, and that
03:25American soldiers might soon be sent home.
03:29Estonian President Alar Karis doesn't see this happening anytime soon.
03:34Despite that, he is overseeing a huge increase in defence spending, to 5% of GDP, a record
03:41among NATO countries.
03:43You have to realise the whole Europe is next to Russia, so we all border Russia.
03:51So it's not only Estonia, Finland and some other countries, it's the whole Europe.
03:55So if something is going to happen, I hope not, so the whole Europe is in trouble.
04:04Meanwhile, back in the Baltic Sea, the Sakhala is engaged in a training exercise with a Finnish
04:09warship.
04:13Both Finland and Sweden have now joined NATO, in response to Putin's attack on Ukraine and
04:18the threat to the rest of Europe.
04:26Though we don't feel the war directly at the moment, we know what's causing it and the
04:30presence of these ships at sea.
04:34Unfortunately, there is not much we can do, except look at the sea and hope for the best.
04:44One piece of good news, the number of suspicious vessels in the Baltic is said to have plateaued
04:49since NATO increased its presence there.
04:52It offers a bit of comfort to people who, like Heiko Heitor, call this Baltic Sea coast
04:58their home.
Comments