Joint Expeditionary Force using AI to monitor Russian Tankers in Baltic Sea

HELSINKI - The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) has employed artificial intelligence to monitor a fleet of tankers servicing shipments from Russia in the Baltic Sea.

"The system detects vessels belonging to the so-called Russian shadow fleet and issues warnings if they approach critical infrastructure such as that for electricity, gas, or telecommunications. The alerts are shared with all ten JEF member countries," Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported on Tuesday.

The operation, named Nordic Warden, launched last week with the involvement of artificial intelligence, aims to issue warnings about potential threats to underwater communication in the Baltic Sea. The portal quoted British Defense Minister John Healey, who stated that the innovative system provides an unprecedented capability to monitor large areas with relatively limited resources.

The JEF comprises ten member countries -- the United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. The JEF also commended Finland and Estonia for their "decisive actions" in detaining the oil tanker Eagle S 25, sailing under the Cook Islands flag, suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 power cable. The vessel is also suspected of damaging four underwater telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland with its anchor.

The tanker has been held at the Kilpilahti anchorage in Porvoo since Dec. 28, pending the investigation, according to Finnish authorities. The police suspect eight crew members of the Eagle S of criminal acts and serious interference with communication. They are prohibited from leaving the country.

On Tuesday, it was reported that the Swedish Navy's multipurpose vessel HMS Belos had located and retrieved the anchor of the Eagle S, which allegedly damaged the Estlink 2 power cable between Estonia and Finland as well as four telecommunications cables.

"The anchor is currently under the control of Finnish authorities. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will begin an inquiry," the news portal of Yle reported on Tuesday.