The Estonian government is set to decide Thursday afternoon formally on merging the Estonian Navy (Merevägi) vessels into one fleet with those of the civilian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). Two separate operations centers will similarly be combined.
Defense minister Kalle Laanet (Reform) and interior minister Kristian Jaani (Center), whose ministries, agencies and authorities have been cooperating frequently recently amid the migrant crisis on the Belarus-EU border, both said Thursday that the idea is not new – having been discussed since Estonia regained its independence 30 years ago, but the will at a governmental level is now present and in fact the cabinet is about to formalize the merger.
Estonia’s navy comprises several former Royal Navy (U.K.) Sandown-class minehunters, as well as two recently-acquired, Saaremaa-built patrol vessels, while the PPA’s four substantial vessels, the Kindral Kurvits, the Pikker, the Valve and the Raju, will be merged with these.
The (civilian) Maritime Surveillance Center and the (military) Maritime Operations Center will also move to a single location and thus be merged.
The merger is intended to bring significant added value and is not just about math, Jaani and Laanet, speaking at Thursday’s regular government press conference, added.
While initially the plan was for the Hundipea harbor in Tallinn to become the base for the combined fleet, consideration is now being given to the possibility of accommodating it in the adjacent, renovated Mine Harbor (Miinisadam), meaning no further renovation work would be needed.
Meanwhile Taavi Aas (Center), minister of economic affairs and infrastructure, said the merger should save €26 million over a 10-year period.
The PPA and the navy, itself a part of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) and not a standalone service, will remain separate entities themselves.
The navy has regularly contributed a vessel to the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1), a NATO immediate reaction force involving several member nations.
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