The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, is looking to create a fleet of cable repair ships in a public/private initiative which could be a boost for the continent’s shipyards. Following a spate of cable and pipeline outages, primarily in the Baltic, in recent months, bureaucrats in Brussels have become aware of the shortage of cable laying ships around the world. Splash analysis last month suggested there are around 75 cable laying ships in operation today, with the average age of this niche fleet above average. Seabed gas pipelines, power cables and fibre optic cables have all been attacked – likely by merchant ships dragging their anchors – in recent months across the Baltic, forcing NATO to establish Baltic Sentry, a naval protection operation. Baltic Sentry involves a range of assets, including frigates, submarines, maritime patrol aircraft, and drones. A joint statement from the heads of state or government of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden last month noted: “Russia’s use of the so-called shadow fleet poses a particular threat to the maritime and environmental security in the Baltic Sea region and globally. This reprehensible practice also threatens the integrity of undersea infrastructure, increases risks connected to sea-dumped chemical munitions, and significantly supports funding of Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.” googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); });