Sweden has announced plans to equip its civilian Coast Guard vessels with Ksp 58 machine guns, citing a deteriorating security environment in the Baltic Sea and growing concerns over Russian-linked maritime activity.
The decision was announced by Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin during a visit to the coast guard vessel KBV 002 Triton on the island of Gotland.
According to Bohlin, the additional armament will enable Coast Guard personnel to better protect themselves while carrying out operations at sea.
“We are seeing how the heightened tensions in our surrounding region are being reflected in an increasingly uncertain security situation in the Baltic Sea,” Bohlin said.
He added that the changing security environment means the Swedish Coast Guard is taking on a broader role and must be capable of protecting both its crews and vessels against emerging threats.
The Ksp 58 machine guns will initially be installed on Sweden’s three largest Coast Guard vessels: KBV 002 Triton, KBV 001 Poseidon and KBV 003 Amfitrite
All three ships entered service in 2009. Triton will receive the weapons first, with the modernization programme gradually expanding to other vessels through 2030.
Sweden says the move comes amid increasing security challenges in the Baltic Sea. Since joining NATO, the country has intensified inspections of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet—aging, often poorly insured tankers transporting Russian oil through the region. Swedish authorities have also boarded vessels suspected of operating under false flags on at least two occasions.
While the machine guns are primarily intended for self-defence, Swedish officials acknowledge they could also provide limited protection against small aerial threats such as reconnaissance drones, although they are not designed to counter large attack drones.
Bohlin noted that Finland has already equipped its Coast Guard vessels with similar weapons, adding that Sweden is likely the second country in the region to introduce such capabilities.
