The Estonian Navy and the maritime arm of the Estonian Police and Border Guard (PBG) will be merged into a single government agency following the latter's future incorporation as a branch of service under the country's Ministry of Defence.
The merger of the two services will take effect from January 1, 2023, the Ministry of Interior said in a recent statement.
The responsibilities of maritime situational awareness, sea border surveillance, and marine pollution control will be also be taken over by the Ministry of Defence. However, maritime search and rescue will remain a responsibility of the PBG.