Fifteen Estonian shipwrecks receive protection from trawling
Sunday 25th October 2026 on 21:00 in
Estonia
Fifteen shipwrecks in Estonian waters, each at least 100 years old, have been declared cultural monuments and placed under state protection, ERR reports. The move is intended to prevent human activity, including trawling, from damaging them.
The protected wrecks include rare finds. Marine archaeologist Ivar Treffner said one is a German torpedo boat from the First World War, more than 70 metres long and essentially a destroyer.
More than 700 wrecks have been discovered in Estonian waters, about 100 of them under heritage protection. Archaeologists say that is only a fraction of what may lie beneath the Baltic Sea. To qualify as a cultural monument, a wreck must be at least 100 years old and have potential as a source of information, said Maili Roio, an underwater archaeology adviser at the Estonian Heritage Board.
The wrecks vary in age, from the 15th century to the early 20th century. Each can reveal details about shipbuilding and maritime trade. The cause of a sinking is often unknown, Treffner said. In the case of the ship Success, researchers know it first ran aground, sprang a leak and tried to reach Tallinn but did not make it. Another ship struck a mine and sank.
The Baltic Sea’s low oxygen levels slow bacterial processes, helping wrecks survive. Shipworm, which consumes wood, does not yet live in Estonian waters, Treffner said.
Fishing, particularly trawling, has been among the most damaging activities for wrecks in Estonian waters, Roio said. The 15 wrecks will each receive an official protection zone where activities such as trawling will be prohibited. The zones will not prevent other uses of the sea, but developers will have to keep structures and construction work at a safe distance to avoid damaging or destroying the wrecks.
Wrecks also attract divers. Sweden has caught underwater looters who were sentenced to prison, while Estonia’s most recent recorded wreck looting was four years ago. No one in Estonia has been sent to prison for looting a wreck, the report said.