News

The Baltic Sea's calm waters were disturbed on 28th of August when 2 passengers on board a catamaran, who were endangering the other passengers, were arrested. While conducting the body search, Estonian authorities in cooperation with Frontex officers discovered 1 kg of Marijuana on them.  

A fire started on the catamaran which led the approximately 50 passengers to panic, due to the dense smoke and some even jumped in the sea in an attempt to save themselves. A search and rescue operation has been launched, and the passengers were successfully evacuated from the catamaran.

Evacuees were transported to Hundipea Harbour (Tallinn), where medical triage and assistance were provided.  
Fortunately, all these events were part of a scenario during the Multipurpose Maritime Exercise (MME) BRACE Estonia 2025 co-lead by Frontex and Estonia, with the participation of European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).

It is the first time that Estonia organises a live exercise within the framework of EU cooperation and Multipurpose Maritime Operation Baltic Sea 2025 (MMO). Since 2022, Frontex has been working together with European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) and European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), within Multipurpose Maritime Operations and has organized drills and exercises addressed to maritime border control, fisheries control and inspections, maritime safety, maritime environmental protection and oil pollution response.

The MME BRACE ESTONIA 2025 exercise is about keeping the seas safe. It focuses on controlling borders and enforcing laws at sea, as well as rescuing people through Search and Rescue operations. The exercise also aims to stop cross-border crime and help different law enforcement teams work together to keep the seas safe and secure. It is designed to prepare teams for a wide range of situations that might happen in the Baltic Sea area by simulating a complex scenario to test their readiness and ability to respond to different challenges.