Editing Pirates of the Baltic Sea (section)

==Surrounding Countries==

===Sweden===

A nation of over 10 million people, and the most important ally for Åland. Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, and king is the head of state, but the role of the monarch is limited to ceremonial and representative functions. Swedish foreign policy is based on the principle of non-alignment in peacetime and neutrality in wartime.

Sweden is the sixteenth-richest country in the world with a high standard of living and an export-oriented mixed economy with a heavy emphasis on foreign trade. The largest trade flows are with Germany, the United States, Norway, Denmark and Finland. Sweden's engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports and it is the ninth-largest arms exporter in the world. A significant number of armaments the Buccaneers use have been made in Sweden.

Buccaneers generally leave Swedish shipping alone, even that of Swedish corporations. Exceptions do happen for various reasons, but as a rule, raiding a Swedish ship is a sure way for a crew to end up in trouble with Ålandic authorities and the Buccaneer Admirality.

====Stockholm====

The capital of Sweden and the most populous urban area in Scandinavia, with two and a half million people living in the metropolitan area. Stockholm is the cultural, media, political, and economic centre of Sweden and is among the top 10 regions in Europe by GDP per capita. It is the main centre for corporate headquarters in the Nordic region. The city is home to some of Europe's top ranking universities, it hosts the annual Nobel Prize ceremonies and is the seat of the Swedish government. Stockholm Palace is the official residence of the Swedish monarch, while Drottningholm Palace on the outskirts of Stockholm serves as the Royal Family's private residence.
The central parts of the city consist of fourteen islands that are continuous with the Stockholm archipelago. Over 30% of the City area is made up of waterways and another 30% is made up of parks and green spaces.

====Gotland====

Sweden's largest island. It occupies a strategic location in the Baltic Sea, located about 90 km (56 miles) east of the Swedish mainland and about 130 km (81 miles) from the Baltic states, Latvia being the nearest. The island has a bit over 60 000 inhabitants, most of whom live in Visby, the main town. Swedish Army has a permanent military presence on Gotland, the Gotland Regiment, along with a support helicopter squadron and an Air Force fast response jet squadron. Despite its importance as a naval base in the past, there are no naval units based out of Gotland. Except for a mercenary unit, Victual Brothers.

====Navy====

Swedish Navy consists of two Naval Warfare Flotillas, one Submarine Flotilla, and an Amphibious Marine unit. The navy has two bases. Karlskrona naval base to the far southern Sweden, and Muskö naval base, an underground naval facility located at Muskö island in the Stockholm archipelago. Right next door to the Buccaneers in Åland.

The ships of the Navy number 7 corvettes, 9 mine countermeasure vessels, 5 submarines, 14 patrol vessels, close to 150 Gunboats, and various auxiliary vessels including close to a hundred Landing Craft.

Swedish submarines are locally made, with air-independent propulsion and GHOST (Genuine HOlistic STealth) technology, making them extremely quiet. They are also designed to withstand significant shock loads from underwater explosions and can launch and recover vehicles through their torpedo tubes.

With the exception of some specialized auxiliary vessels, Swedish surface ships are also of Swedish design. They include patrol boats, combat boats, minesweepers, ocean patrol vessels, signal intelligence vessels, and auxiliary craft such as a submarine salvage ships. The main combat vessels are Visby-class corvettes. The ship's design heavily emphasizes low visibility, radar cross-section and infrared signature. To put it simply, they are stealth ships.

Buccaneer wisdom on Swedish Navy: “By the time you see them coming, it is already too late.”

===Finland===

The eastern neighbor of Åland, with a population of five and a half million. The economy of Finland has a per capita output equal to that of other European economies such as those of France or Germany. With respect to foreign trade, the key economic sector is manufacturing, with the largest industries being electronics; machinery, vehicles, and other engineered metal products; forest industry; and chemicals.
Finland has a somewhat unusual corporate culture. It has the highest concentration of cooperatives relative to its population, democratically owned by their members. The Buccaneers do not normally target Finnish shipping.

The majority of international cargo shipments are handled at ports. Vuosaari Harbour in Helsinki is the largest container port in Finland; others include Kotka, Hamina, Hanko, Pori, Rauma, and Oulu. There is also passenger traffic from Helsinki and Turku. The Helsinki-Tallinn route is one of the busiest passenger sea routes in the world. Outside of the inner city, much of Helsinki consists of suburbs separated by patches of forest. The City of Helsinki has about 11 000 boat berths and possesses over 14 000 hectares (54.1 square miles) of marine fishing waters adjacent to the Capital Region. Some 60 fish species are found in this area and recreational fishing is popular.

====Helsinki====

The capital and largest city of Finland, with a population of over 1.5 million people in the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area. Helsinki has one of the world's highest urban standards of living. Called the "Daughter of the Baltic" or the "Pearl of the Baltic Sea", Helsinki is on the tip of a peninsula and on 315 islands.

As the crossroads of many international ports and having Finland's largest airport, Helsinki is the global gateway to and from Finland. Foreign citizens make up nearly ten per cent of the population. The Port of Helsinki is the busiest passenger port in the world and the main port for foreign trade in Finland.

Buccaneers usually visit Helsinki only if they have specific business there. If they need something from the mainland, Stockholm and Turku are a lot closer. But it is not uncommon to have business in Helsinki. 83 of the 100 largest Finnish companies have their headquarters in Greater Helsinki, and occasionally some of these – mainly the cooperatives - wish to discreetly obtain the services of the Buccaneers.

====Turku====

The closest Finnish city to Åland, with a population of 200 000. Turku is the oldest city in Finland and a former capital. Located at the mouth of the Aura river, Turku is spread over both banks of the river.

Turku has been officially declared the "Food Capital of Finland", because it holds a number of Finland's oldest and most high quality restaurants, and a historically famous fish market held twice a year. The word turku originally meant “market place” and still does in some Finnish dialects.

The city is a renowned high tech centre. The Turku Science Park hosts over 300 companies from the fields of biotechnology and information technology, as well as several institutions of higher learning that work closely with the business sector.
The Port of Turku spans a wide area on the southern coastline of the city. Because of the port's location at the southwestern corner of Finland the harbour provides the most efficient route to serve the Baltic Sea. Turku Harbour is one of the most important shipment points in the country, handling over four million tons of cargo and a corresponding four million passengers per year.
Turku has a history of industrial shipbuilding, but the shipyard there specializes in huge cruise ships and ferries, and is of little interest to the Buccaneers.

Turku is also the home port of Boat Club Sea Devils that the Buccaneers have a conflicted relationship with.

====Navy====

The Finnish Navy has 250 ships in one naval fleet, the Coastal Fleet. The fleet is based in Turku, which is also the location of Navy Command headquarters. And Turku is on the Finnish coast, right at the other end of the Åland Archipelago. Meaning that the Finnish Fleet is right next door to the Buccaneers. 

In addition to the base in Turku and the Naval Academy in the capital, the Finnish Navy has two more bases on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. One is the base of the Coastal Brigade, a brigade-level unit responsible for amphibious warfare, naval reconnaissance and special operations of the Finnish Navy. The other is the Swedish-speaking Nyland Brigade, or Nylands Brigad in Swedish. The Brigade trains troops for combat in coastal environments. It also trains personnel for the International ATU unit (Amphibious Task Unit), which is a special crisis management force that can be employed in coastal environments. While both the Coastal Brigade and the Nyland brigade are infantry-based, they are capable of posing a threat to ships. Their armament includes both truck-mounted and infantry-carried anti-ship missiles and coastal missiles.

The core of the Coastal Fleet is four multi-purpose frigates and eight missile boats, with about twenty mine layers and mine sweepers. Finns could easily and swiftly block sea approach with mines. The rest of the fleet is mostly transport vessels and auxiliary craft that include among other things three Pollution Control Vessels. But of greatest concern to the Buccaneers is that out of the entire fleet, close to 200 ships are Landing Craft. They could easily transport the entire complement of Finnish Marines – two Coastal Jaeger battalions. The worst nightmare the Buccaneers have of provoking a conflict with Finns is not the frigates, but waking up to find Coastal Jaegers swarming all over the place.

Buccaneer wisdom on Finnish Navy: “Piss this bunch off and the Coastal Jaegers come over and announce that they are here to drink vodka and kick ass, and they are already out of vodka.”

===Denmark===

A country of about six million people, Denmark largely controls access to and from the Baltic Sea. Denmark consists of the peninsula of Jutland and 1 419 islands, of which 443 are named and 74 inhabited. The largest islands used to be connected by bridges to each other and to Danish and Swedish mainland, forming a continuous land route. The route still exists, but the bridges no longer exist. In their place is the Danish Seawall, with the roads on top of the wall.

Even though Denmark has historically taken a progressive stance on environmental preservation and implemented climate protection policies, land and water pollution are two of Denmark's most significant environmental issues. This is in part due to the large economic role of the meat and dairy industries, both of which cause substantially high emissions.

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, although the duties of the monarch are strictly representative and ceremonial. Denmark wields considerable influence in Northern Europe and has moderate influence in international affairs.

Although agriculture continues to be a major industry, Denmark has an expansive industrial base and service sector. 60% of the total export value is due to export of goods, and the remaining 40% is from service exports, mainly sea transport. The country's main export goods are: wind turbines, pharmaceuticals, machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, furniture and design. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy.

Denmark has a long tradition of scientific and technological invention. Danish companies have been influential in the shipping industry with the design of the largest and most energy efficient container ships in the world. Many marine propulsion systems are also of Danish design. Quite a few Buccaneer Vessels contain parts made in Denmark. Denmark also has advanced software, electronics and biotech sectors.
Support for free trade is high among the Danes, and the corporate Embargo of Åland is highly unpopular. Quite a few Buccaneers are Danes by ethnicity, and there is plenty of illicit trade between Ålandic smugglers and Danes, with most exchanges happening on the island of Bornholm. Although the Buccaneers do not have an unofficial blanket ban on raiding Danish shipping, they mainly targets the shipments of global corporations while leaving the shipments of mostly Danish-owned businesses alone. 

====Copenhagen====

The capital and most populous city of Denmark, with over two million people living in the Copenhagen Metropolitan Area. The city is the cultural, economic and governmental centre of Denmark, and one of the major financial centres of Northern Europe. The city's economy is based largely on services and commerce. Since the summer of 2000, Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmö had been connected by the Øresund Bridge, which carries rail and road traffic. Although the bridge has been replaced by a section of the Danish Seawall, the connection still exists, the traffic traveling on the top of the wall. As a result, Copenhagen has become the centre of a larger metropolitan area spanning both nations.

Several financial institutions and banks have headquarters in Copenhagen. The city is also home to a number of international companies. City authorities have encouraged the development of business clusters in several innovative sectors, which include information technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, clean technology and smart city solutions. Life science is a key sector with extensive research and development activities. Medicon Valley is a leading bi-national life sciences cluster in Europe. Shipping is another important sector with the world's largest shipping company having their world headquarters in Copenhagen. The city’s harbour, Copenhagen Port, has merged with Malmö harbour. Both ports are operated by Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP). The central location in the Øresund Region allows the ports to act as a hub for freight that is transported onward to the Baltic countries. CMP annually receives about 8,000 ships.

Copenhagen is a popular destination for the Buccaneers, but not so much for its services as for its nightlife. Certain areas of the city are especially noted for it, with several notable nightclubs. Copenhagen has one of the highest number of restaurants and bars per capita in the world. The nightclubs and bars stay open until 5 or 6 in the morning, some even longer. Denmark has a very liberal alcohol culture and a strong tradition for beer breweries, although binge drinking is frowned upon. Copenhagen also has the two oldest amusement parks in the world. When Buccaneers visit, they often do so in order to party and have fun.

====Bornholm====

A Danish island strategically located in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Bornholm has a total population of 40 000 people. Known as Sunshine Island, Bornholm is a popular tourist destination. And with the Åland Embargo, a prime smuggling hub. Individuals and corporations who do not dare to trade directly with Åland trade their goods to local middlemen who then trade them to Ålandic smugglers. This trade tends to happen under the guise of visiting tourists and local trade, and has proven extremely difficult for corporations to interfere with due to Bornholm’s characteristics. There is very little large corporate presence on the island, and because of its remote location Bornholm Regional Municipality has its own traffic company, is its own employment region, and also performs other tasks normally carried out by the regions in the rest of Denmark. In some respects the municipality forms a region of its own.

====Navy====

The Royal Danish Navy is mainly responsible for maritime defense and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish territorial waters - including Faroe Islands and Greenland. The navy is equipped with a number of large state-of-the-art vessels, although their number is low. 16 ships, 28 vessels and 30 boats.

Danish Navy has three major bases, two of which are on Baltic coast, near Copenhagen and in Zealand. They also have a number of minor bases and coastal fortifications, and three Sea surveillance stations, the most notable one to Buccaneers being in Bornholm.

Danish Navy is divided into three squadrons. First squadron handles all tasks regarding Arctic Ocean affairs and is hardly ever encountered by the Buccaneers. It includes four ocean patrol frigates, three ocean patrol cutters, and half a dozen cartography vessels.
Second squadron, based in the island of Zealand, is specialized in foreign affairs. It consists of five frigates, a Diving Service patrol vessel, and a number of minehunter drones.

Third squadron, based on the northeastern coast of the Jylland peninsula, handles all tasks regarding domestic affairs. It consists of half a dozen patrol boats, two multirole boats, and a number of environmental protection vessels.

Danish Navy also has a number of vessels not part of the squadrons, including fast response and search and rescue vessels. In addition to that, though not a part of the Royal Danish Navy, Naval Home Guard vessels – all patrol boats - support the Danish Navy in a number of tasks.
Generally, the Royal Danish Navy’s focus is on Arctic Ocean patrols and on protecting the Danish straits and the Danish coast. When encountered in the Baltic Sea outside the Danish territorial waters, they are usually on non-confrontational tasks such as surveillance, search and rescue, or oil spill recovery. A good thing for the Buccaneers who have practically nothing to challenge the Danish frigates with.

Buccaneer wisdom on Danish Navy: “When you are in Danish waters, play nice. Play really nice.”

===Estonia===

A country of around 1.3 million people on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. Estonia has over two thousand islands and islets in the Baltic sea, many of these making ideal meeting places for Buccaneers and clients or customers in the Baltic states. And there are plenty of those in Estonia. Over there, the Åland Embargo was largely seen as a business opportunity rather than an obstacle to trade, and most Estonian corporations are perfectly happy to do off the books trade with the Buccaneers, making Estonia-Åland route a smuggling route with heavy traffic.

And not all trade between the Buccaneers and their Estonian partners is in physical products. Banking and online services are also a source of brisk trade. A free trade regime, competitive commercial banking sector, innovative e-Services and mobile-based services are all hallmarks of Estonia's market economy. They are also at the leading edge of e-government, with 99 percent of the public services being available on the web 24 hours a day. It is no secret then that many Buccaneer crews have accounts in Estonian banks and sites, phone numbers with Estonian telecommunication companies, and online storage in various commercial servers, usually behind cover of front companies provided by yet other service providers. These services are considered safe to use with little risk of megacorp interference. The Ease of Doing Business Index places Estonia among the top 20 in the world, and the country has the third lowest business bribery risk in the world.

Although Estonia is in general resource-poor, it is not reliant on just its service and information technology sectors. Food, construction, and electronic industries are among the most important branches of Estonia's industry, followed by the machinery and chemical industry.
However, there are vast disparities between different areas of Estonia. Over half of the country's GDP is created in the capital city of Tallinn, and that is where most of the wealth is concentrated. This has been a contributing factor to the situation that has given rise to one of the most brutal rivals of the Buccaneers, The Raiders of Thule. They operate semi-openly from the island of Saaremaa. The Raiders leave Estonian shipping alone and support and are supported by some populist right wing political groups with support in the areas outside the capital. Their supporters downplay their violent activities at sea and paint them as Robin Hoods supporting the country’s rural economy, and with the government’s silent acceptance of trade with Buccaneers they lack the political capital to shut down the Raiders, even if they’d be happy to see the pirates gone.

====Tallinn====

The capital and the main financial, industrial and cultural centre of Estonia, with a population of half a million people. Tallinn is situated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, 80.32 kilometres (49.91 miles) south of Helsinki, and the Helsinki-Tallinn route is one of the busiest passenger sea routes in the world. The city has a highly diversified economy with particular strengths in tourism, logistics and especially information technology and cybernetics. Tallinn has been called the Silicon Valley of the Baltic Sea.

The Port of Tallinn is one of the largest port enterprises of the Baltic Sea, with five constituent harbors. It is a popular port of call for Buccaneers, many of whom do business in Tallinn.

====Saaremaa====

The largest island in Estonia, with a total population of 30 000 people. Once a popular tourist destination that still has its own passenger port, the island sees fever visitors these days, but has an entrepreneur-friendly, safe, and strain-free economic environment. Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, the entrepreneurs include the pirate group Raiders of Thule. Just like Åland’s economy is dependent on the Buccaneers, Saaremaa depends on the Raiders. Although the atmosphere is less welcoming in Saaremaa, where the raiders are only grudgingly accepted by the general population although the authorities treat them friendly. The Raiders are on their best behavior in their home port, not wishing to dirty their own nest, but they have no code of conduct like the Buccaneers do, and enough rumors about their ruthlessness get around that many locals have serious doubts about the value of having the Raiders around.

====Navy====

Estonia never had a large navy, with only half a dozen commissioned ships, so when Triton Corporation started offering naval mercenary services around the Baltic Sea, it was not a huge decision not to upgrade their aging fleet and instead contract Triton for Navy services. Although this decision ended up forming the core group of what became the Raiders of Thule as former Navy personnel looked for other opportunities.

Currently, Estonia is contracting ten Triton vessels, mostly patrol boats for force protection at sea and in ports, along with a minelayer and a pair of mine hunters.

Estonia still maintains its own Border Guard that has patrol boats of their own, and although these are police rather than military vessels, they are not to be laughed at, and perfectly capable of catching and apprehending a careless Buccaneer crew with their fast patrol craft. 

Buccaneer wisdom on Estonian Navy: “Forget the Tritons – beware of the Border Guard!”

===Latvia===

A nation of two million people between Estonia and Lithuania. Latvia has a high-income advanced economy, although the country mainly produces low-value goods and raw materials and Latvian economy is heavily dependent on foreign investment. This has resulted in corporations having a lot of influence in Latvian politics.

The biggest exporters are in wood products, IT, food and beverage manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, transport and metallurgy.

====Riga====

The capital and home to a third of Latvia's population. Roughly half of all the jobs in Latvia are in Riga and the city generates more than 50% of Latvia's GDP as well as around half of Latvia's exports. Riga Port is one of the largest in the Baltics, but Buccaneers rarely manage to visit, since to do so they would have to pass the Raiders of Thule to access the Gulf of Riga.

====The Freeport of Ventspils====

The port of Ventspils is a deep-water sea port located in Ventspils on Latvia's Baltic coast. It can accommodate the largest vessels operating in the Baltic Sea, and by cargo turnover it is one of the Baltic Sea's busiest ports.

Although in theory supervised by the Latvian government through the Ventspils Freeport Law, large corporations effectively control much of the day to day business of the port. This poses some problems for the Buccaneers. Ventspils is not situated in the Gulf of Riga, so it is the major Latvian port that can be accessed without risking confrontation with the Raiders of Thule, but if the corporations learn of a Buccaneer ship in port, they have plenty of official and unofficial ways to cause trouble. Having forged documentation when entering is very much recommended. But if the Buccaneers manage to stay unnoticed by the corporations, the Freeport is full of opportunities. In addition to megacorps, a large number of smaller businesses move their cargoes through Ventspils, and it is a port of call for many independent vessels in the Baltic. There is always work to be had for a daring crew who does not ask too many questions.

====Navy====

Just like other Baltic states, Latvia never had a large navy. Half a dozen mine ships and a dozen patrol boats divided between the Navy and Coast Guard. And Latvia too decommissioned their own navy ships and contracted the services of Triton vessels instead, only keeping their Coast Guard.

Latvian Coast Guard is not at all happy with the Raiders of Thule having their base in a position to control access to the Gulf of Riga, and they take every opportunity to harass the Raiders. The Raiders, for their part, usually try to avoid a confrontation with the Latvians, knowing that if the tense situation escalates they might lose the political support they need to operate. Also, Latvian patrol boats are well armed for their role, with over the horizon anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, and a 76 mm gun. Not to mention having skilled crews. If the Raiders give Latvians a reason to engage, they might end up with their ships sunk.

Of course, the same could happen to a Buccaneer vessel that decides to provoke the Latvian Coast Guard.

Buccaneer wisdom on Latvian Navy: “If you are being chased by the Raiders of Thule, you might be happy to see their Coast Guard. Otherwise, best to keep clear.”

===Lithuania===

The southernmost of the Baltic states, with close to three million people. Lithuania has 99 kilometres (61.5 miles) of sandy coastline, only about 38 kilometres (24 miles) of which face the open Baltic Sea, less than the other two Baltic states. The rest of the coast is sheltered by the Curonian sand peninsula. Lithuania's major warm-water port, Klaipėda, lies at the narrow mouth of the Curonian Lagoon, a shallow lagoon extending south to Kaliningrad. The country's main and largest river, the Nemunas River, and some of its tributaries carry international shipping.

While Lithuania is a reasonably safe country for an average person, with strong law enforcement and little violent crime, Lithuanian cybercriminals are notorious for their skill, and visiting Buccaneer vessels are advised to make sure that their security systems are up to date. But if a Buccaneer crew is on a job involving electronic data or information technology security, some go out of their way to hire a Lithuanian hacker along on the job.

The three most important fields of export in Lithuania are Agricultural products and food, chemical products and plastics, and machinery and appliances. Most of the exports are transported by land, with mainly just Sweden and Germany receiving shipments by sea.
Information technology, particularly financial technology, is also a major source of income for Lithuania, although the IT security of the corporations is in a constant struggle with local hackers.

====Vilnius====

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania and its largest city, with a population of close to 750 000 in the metropolitan area. Vilnius lies far inland, 312 km (194 miles) from the Baltic Sea. Few Buccaneers visit the city unless they have specific business there. Which they sometimes do. Vilnius has one of the fastest internet speeds in the world, and it is said that the best hackers in the Baltic area can be found here.

====Klaipėda====

Klaipėda is the third largest city of Lithuania and has the country’s only seaport. Close to 250 000 people live in the city and environs, and many large corporations have a presence in the Klaipėda Free Economic Zone, in the eastern part of the city.

====Navy====

Lithuania had the smallest Navy of the Baltic states, with just three mine ships and four patrol boats. These days, most of their naval services are provided by Triton mercenaries, just like those of other Baltic states.  They only kept three auxiliary ships. A Coast Guard cutter, a sea rescue vessel and a tug with icebreaker capabilities - although the capability sees little use these days. Lithuanian ships mainly provide assistance to ships in distress, with all the aggressive duties handled by Triton.

Buccaneer wisdom on Lithuanian Navy: “Except for the mercs, this bunch is actually a welcome sight if you are in trouble.”

===Germany===

With a population of over 83 million and a strong economy, Germany is in the pair of the two most powerful nations around the Baltic Sea, along with Russia. Germany’s capital and largest city is Berlin, its financial centre is Frankfurt, and the largest urban area is the Ruhr. But all three of these are situated far inland and are hardly ever visited by the Buccaneers unless they are deep undercover. Germany is no friend to the Buccaneers, and German ports and cities are not safe for them.

Germany has a highly skilled labour force, a low level of corruption, and a high level of innovation. It is the world's third largest exporter of goods, and has the largest economy in Europe, which is also the world's fourth-largest. The top 10 exports of Germany are vehicles, machinery, chemical goods, electronic products, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, transport equipment, basic metals, food products, and rubber and plastics.

Of the world's 500 largest stock-market-listed companies, 29 are headquartered in Germany, and Germany largely supports the corporate embargo of Åland. However, the German government has a long-standing policy of noninterference in all corporate affairs outside German territories. That means that while German Navy will ruthlessly pursue identified Buccaneer vessels in German waters and may come after them even in the Corporate Economic Zone, they respect the territories of other nations and will never continue pursuit in the territorial waters of other Baltic Sea states.

====Hamburg====

Known as Germany's "Gateway to the World" The Port of Hamburg is on the river Elbe in Hamburg, Germany, 110 kilometres (68 miles) from its mouth on the North Sea. The mouth has a wall with a lock system, a smaller version of the Danish Seawall, that protects Elbe and Hamburg from the higher sea level of the Atlantic. 

Hamburg is difficult for the Buccaneers to reach unless they can access the German canals and rivers. It is the third-busiest port in Europe and Germany's largest seaport by volume. The Port of Hamburg is also one of Hamburg's largest attractions, both as a living, industrial and logistic center but also as a backdrop for modern culture and the port's history. Among these are various museum ships, musical theaters, bars, restaurants and hotels - and even a floating boat church.

The fact that trade and traffic from Hamburg continues unimpeded is a big reason why the German government considers Ålandic Buccaneers and the Raiders of Thule to be largely problems for the corporations.

====Rostock====

With over 200 000 inhabitants, Rostock is the third largest city on the German Baltic coast after Kiel and Lübeck. Rostock was the largest coastal and most important port city in East Germany. The Port of Rostock is the largest port on the German Baltic coast.
The city is home to the oldest and largest university in the Baltic Sea area and one of the oldest universities in the world, the University of Rostock.

The economy of the city is mainly characterized by maritime industries (especially shipbuilding), high-tech industries (IT, biotechnology/life sciences, medical engineering), the University of Rostock, tourism and the service sector.

Despite the dangers of visiting German Ports, some Buccaneer hackers and engineers sometimes sneak in in order to gain access to the datastores of the university’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Marine Technology, and to the shipyards. Some of the best ships in the Baltic Sea are made in Rostock, and Buccaneer crews who wish to have the best and most advanced upgrades for their vessels will have to brave the German authorities and gain access to Rostock.

====Lübeck====

With around 220 000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast. The city lies on the mouth of the River Trave, which flows into the Bay of Lübeck. The Elbe–Lübeck Canal, which connects the Baltic to the Elbe River at Lauenburg, also crosses the city. The city is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and is the southwesternmost city on the Baltic, as well as the closest point of access to the Baltic from Hamburg. The port of Lübeck is the second-largest German Baltic port after the port of Rostock.

Lübeck’s importance to the Buccaneers lies in the fact that any Buccaneer crew that needs for some reason to gain access to Hamburg or to Elbe and the German inland will need to pass through the city. And just like with the other German ports, this has its risks.

====Kiel====

Kiel has a population of 250 000 and due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland peninsula on the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea, has become one of Germany's major maritime centres. Kiel has also been one of the traditional homes of the German Navy's Baltic fleet, and continues to be a major high-tech shipbuilding centre. Kiel is an important sea transport hub, thanks to its location on the Kiel Fjord, and the busiest artificial waterway in the world, Kiel Canal, connecting Baltic Sea with the North Sea.

While Kiel is a leading centre of German high-tech military and civil shipbuilding, the strong presence of German Navy means that most Buccaneers in search of advanced ship upgrades will visit Rostock instead, although daring exceptions have happened. Most of the time when Buccaneers need to brave the German authorities at Kiel, it is to gain access to the canal.

====Navy====

German Navy is one of the least friendly to Buccaneers in the Baltic. Its primary mission is not just the protection of Germany's territorial waters and maritime infrastructure, but also that of sea lines of communication. The German Navy also participates in anti-piracy operations, and they do not consider the Buccaneers much different from the Raiders of Thule.

German Navy is also the largest and most advanced of the fleets in the Baltic Sea. In total, there are about 65 commissioned ships in the German Navy, including; 10 frigates, 5 corvettes, 2 minesweepers, 10 minehunters, 6 submarines, 11 replenishment ships and 20 miscellaneous auxiliary vessels. The total displacement of the navy is 220,000 tonnes.

German frigates have the highest displacement of any class of frigate worldwide, and one of the specialties they are designed for is asymmetric threat control at sea – making them a particular threat to irregular fleets like the Buccaneers. The frigates carry gunships, and in addition to missiles, their 127 mm guns have a range of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles). And they are just as dangerous up close with both autocannon and machine gun turrets and even non-lethal weapon system for capturing hostile crews. The frigates are capable of using their gunships and weaponry to harass a smaller, faster ship until the frigate catches up.

German corvettes have similarities to frigates. Although their guns do not have as much range, they do have missiles and they are faster than the frigates. And they all carry two unmanned aerial vehicles for remote sensing.

German submarines are another class of nightmare. The submarines can operate at high speed or switch to the AIP system for silent slow cruising, staying submerged for up to three weeks with little exhaust heat. The system is also vibration-free, extremely quiet and virtually undetectable.

Buccaneer wisdom on German Navy: “If you see one of their drones in air, drop whatever you are doing and run – and hope that you are fast enough that you won’t see the ships!”

===Poland===

With a population of nearly 38.5 million people, Poland is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union and ninth largest by land area. The country’s Baltic seacoast spans 770 kilometers (478 miles) from the Bay of Pomerania to the Gulf of Gdańsk, and is marked by several spits, coastal lakes, and dunes.

Poland is the 20th largest exporter of goods and services in the world and its most successful exports include machinery, furniture, food products, clothing, shoes, cosmetics and videogames. The country is the regional economic leader in Central Europe, with nearly 40 per cent of the 500 biggest companies in the region, as well as a high globalization rate. Warsaw leads Central Europe in foreign investment. And over 40 research and development centers and 4,500 researchers make Poland the biggest research and development hub in Central and Eastern Europe. Several multinational companies have set up research and development centres in Poland because of the availability of highly qualified labour force, presence of universities, support of authorities, and the largest market in East-Central Europe. All this means that megacorporations wield plenty of influence in Poland and possess several corporate enclaves with their own rules, where the corporate security acts as the police force.

Quite a few private security firms have headquarters in Poland, and these are often contracted by megacorporations operating in Poland to act as security on board corporate vessels, which has brought them into clashes with the Buccaneers. Some of the more unscrupulous ones have been contracted to perform sabotage and retaliatory strikes against the Buccaneers in Åland. This has caused a somewhat tense situations where Polish crews visiting Åland are regarded with suspicion and Buccaneers need to be careful when visiting Polish ports. While the Polish Border Guard will not go out of their way to detain Buccaneers that behave themselves, unless they are wanted for crimes in Poland, some private contractors with a grudge might decide to harass Buccaneer crews. And since they have license to operate in Poland, as long as they don’t go too far they can usually do so without interference from the law enforcement. Black Dog Security is a particularly tenacious opponent of the Buccaneers.

====Warsaw====

Poland's capital and largest metropolis, with over three million people living in the metropolitan area. Warsaw is a primary node in the global economic network and hosts Poland’s largest corporate enclaves. In Warsaw, the security forces of the most powerful corporations have police rights even outside the enclaves, which makes the city dangerous for Buccaneers to openly visit. Since Warsaw is located deep inland, few Buccaneers go there unless they have specific business in the city.

====Tricity====

A metropolitan area consisting of three cities: Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot, as well as minor towns in their vicinity. They are situated adjacent to one another, in a row on the coast of Gdańsk Bay. The Tricity metropolitan area has a population of over 1 million people.
The port of Gdynia is a regular stopover on the cruising itinerary of large, luxury passenger ships. The port also adjoins Gdynia Naval Base. The Port of Gdańsk has specialized cargo handling equipment and port infrastructure, enabling among others the handling of grain, fertilizers, lumber, ore, steel and containers, as well as vessel servicing. Together they make one of the largest seaports of the Baltic Sea.
A substantial number of taxpayers from Tricity are in the middle and high income groups. The Tricity is also an important center of education, entertainment and scientific research. It also hosts some of the largest corporate enclaves.

The large corporate presence makes Tricity a popular target for Buccaneers, although most of them avoid the port. The presence of a Naval Base makes scrutiny at the port tighter than usual, and the corporations have so much influence on the port authority that a Buccaneer vessel would not be welcome. Tricity is also where Black Dog Security has their headquarters, and their presence makes visits especially perilous. Usually when Buccaneers arrive in the Tricity, they are interested in one of the corporate enclaves, and dock at some other port and arrive by land. 

====Szczecin and Świnoujście====

The Ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście are managed by a single authority, creating one of the largest port complexes at the Baltic Sea. The Port of Świnoujście is located at the Świna strait, on Wolin and Usedom islands, and has passenger terminal. The Port of Szczecin is located at the Oder and Regalica rivers off the Szczecin Lagoon. The port includes a shipyard, a free trade zone within the port area, and a handful of corporate enclaves.

The ports and both towns have seen a number of engagements between the Buccaneers and corporate security teams. Plenty of private vessels dock in Świnoujście, and Buccaneers tend to slip in among them in order to spy for targets in corporate shipping out of Szczecin or pull off an operation against a corporate enclave there, usually targeting data in one of the R&D centers. Due to this, private security teams keep an eye out for arriving Buccaneers to deal with them before they cause trouble.

Since both the Buccaneers and the security teams consider the area important for them, they both try to avoid collateral damage when they clash. The locals have come to consider the engagements as a sort of entertainment, with people gathering to watch and the police concentrating on keeping the bystanders out of the line of fire rather than breaking up the clash. These engagements have even featured on TV series and video games made in Poland.

Of the cities, Szczecin, with over 400 000 inhabitants, is much larger than Świnoujście, with a bit over 40 000 inhabitants.

====Kołobrzeg====

A town of close to 50 000 people, Kołobrzeg is a regional cultural center and a popular tourist destination for both Poles, Germans and Danes. It provides a unique combination of a seaside resort, health resort, an old town full of historic monuments and tourist entertainment options - meaning numerous beer gardens. The Port of Kołobrzeg has a yacht harbour, fishing harbor and ferry harbour.

Megacorporations are largely absent from Kołobrzeg and very little of their traffic goes through the port. Kołobrzeg is still a popular destination for Buccaneers, who find it easy to blend in with tourist yachts. They come here to chill out and to meet Polish clients and contacts.

====Navy====

For the nation’s size, Poland does not have a huge navy compared to some other Baltic Sea nations. 48 ships, including: 3 submarines, 2 frigates, 2 corvettes, 3 fast-attack craft, 21 mine destroyers, 5 mine layers, 4 salvage ships, 6 auxiliary ships and 2 training vessels. But all the vessels are fully modern with skilled crews, the vessels and their gear being a mix of domestically made and purchased from other nations, mainly Germany and Sweden. 

The Polish Navy’s main role is the defense of Poland's territorial waters. They may sometimes provide escort for diplomatic vessels or those working for the branches of Polish Government, but do not escort corporate vessels. They will, however, respond to any distress calls on Polish waters, and when they do they are not inclined to go easy on Buccaneers.

Buccaneer wisdom on Polish Navy: “If you plan to hit a ship coming from or going to Poland, do yourself a favor and do it in international waters. You do not want these people after you.”

===Russia===

Russian Federation is a giant, with 140 million people and a land area of over 17 million square kilometers (6 600 000 square miles). It is the largest country in the world. Although only a tiny part of Russia touches the Baltic Sea, there is no ignoring the country.

Of all the states bordering the Baltic Sea, Russia has the worst human rights management. Corruption is also a significant problem in Russia, impacting various aspects of life. The phenomenon of corruption is strongly established in the historical model of public governance in Russia and attributed to general weakness of rule of law in Russia. For the Buccaneers, this is both a threat and an opportunity. Getting effectively blackmailed by local authorities is always a threat for Buccaneers visiting a Russian port, and doing business in Russia practically demands greasing some palms. On the other hand, gear and services difficult or even impossible to obtain elsewhere can be acquired in Russia if you know the right people and can afford proper gifts.

Various natural resources account for more than 80% of Russian exports abroad. The oil and gas pipelines traversing the floor of the Baltic Sea are of particular importance to Russia, who will go to lengths to ensure that they are not disturbed.
The defense industry of Russia is also a strategically important sector and a large employer in the country. Russia has a large and fully indigenous arms industry, producing most of its own military equipment. The country is also the world's third-biggest exporter of arms. Many military-grade weapons used by the Buccaneers are of Russian manufacture. 

====Saint Petersburg====

With a population of roughly five and a half million residents, Saint Petersburg is the most populous city on the Baltic Sea. It is also known as the Cultural Capital of Russia, and receives millions of tourists every year. The city serves as a home to some bodies of Russian federal government, among others the headquarters of the Russian Navy. Saint Petersburg has three large cargo seaports and two passenger ports for international cruise liners. It is also the financial and industrial centre of Russia, with many specializations of great interest to the Buccaneers. Shipbuilding yards; technologies such as radio, electronics, software, and computers; heavy machinery and transport, including military equipment; chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment. And of course, the city's many local distilleries produce a broad range of vodka brands. The oldest one is LIVIZ, founded in 1897.

What all of the above means is that when Buccaneers have money to spend, it is to Saint Petersburg they will go. As long as they hide any armaments on their boats and bring “gifts” to the port authorities, it is generally safe to do so. Many things difficult to obtain elsewhere can be obtained in Saint Petersburg, if one has enough money and the right contacts. Advanced cybernetics, military-grade weapons and equipment for the ship and crew. Even a new ship, including military vessels.

Then again, some Buccaneers visit Saint Petersburg just to have fun. No matter what your interests, the city has numerous sights and experiences on offer, and while Buccaneers can and will party at home, in Saint Petersburg they can do it with style.

====Ust-Luga====

The largest transportation and logistics hub in northwestern Russia. Unlike the other ports, Ust-Luga is almost entirely under corporate control. Russia had ambitious plans for developing the port, but corruption and inefficiency stalled the development for a long time, and eventually the rights were sold to various corporations, who now have near total control of the port and its traffic. What is especially concerning to some is that Ust-Luga is a transit point for radioactive waste.

Most of corporate shipping to and from Russia goes through Ust-Luga, and is occasionally targeted by Buccaneers. But generally only when they are far from Russian territorial waters. As the seaway to Saint Petersburg, the Gulf of Finland is of considerable strategic importance to Russia, and Russian Baltic Fleet is swift to react to any threats in their area.

====Moscow====

The capital and largest city of Russia stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with over 20 million residents in the Moscow Metropolitan Area. Although the city is so far from the Baltic Sea that Buccaneers practically never visit it, it deserves mention as the government and financial center of Russia. Moscow is home to the country's largest banks and many of its largest companies, and Moscow International Business Center is one of the largest financial centers of Europe and the world.

====Kaliningrad====

This city of 500 000 people is a major transport hub, home to the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy, and one of the largest industrial centers in Russia. Kaliningrad's major industries are manufacturing, shipping, fishing and amber products. It has status as a Special Economic Zone, meaning that manufacturers based there get tax and customs duty breaks on the goods they send to other parts of Russia. Many foreign and global corporations have plants there.

Buccaneer vessels are generally not welcome in Kaliningrad. The Baltic Fleet considers them suspect and does not like them close to their base, and the corporations have a lot of influence over the port authority. However, Baltic Fleet sailors on shore leave can be very good sources of information about what is going on in the Baltic, and this is where they are most easily found. Some buccaneers dock their ships in Polish ports and take advantage of the small border traffic law – an agreement between Poland and the Russian Federation, whereby residents of Kaliningrad and some of the Polish cities may obtain special cards permitting repeated travel between the two countries, crossing the Polish–Russian border. While the cards are not easily forged, if you do manage to obtain a convincing copy, they are so common at the border checkpoints that as long as you look the part you are unlikely to come under much scrutiny.

====Navy====

Although Russia has the largest navy of all Baltic Sea states, the Baltic Sea coast, for all its importance, is just a tiny fraction of the Russian coastline, and in practice Buccaneers will only have to worry about the Russian Baltic Fleet, the ships being divided between that and four other fleets in regions too far from the Baltic to be a cause of worry. Then again, the Baltic Fleet is a cause of worry in its very own right.

The Baltic Fleet is subordinate to Russia's Western Military District headquartered in St. Petersburg, which also incorporates Russia's strongest ground and air formations. The Kaliningrad region between Lithuania and Poland serves as the principal base area for the Baltic Fleet and therefore hosts significant land and air forces, both to defend Kaliningrad and to extend Russian shore-based air and sea denial capabilities into the Baltic Sea region.

The flagship of the fleet is an anti-ship and anti-aircraft guided missile destroyer that also has torpedo tubes and four 130 mm naval guns. In addition to the flagship, there are 2 frigates, 16 corvettes, 6 landing ships supported by 6 other landing craft, an attack submarine, 17 minesweepers, 9 missile ships, an anti-saboteur ship and 5 intelligence vessels.

The Baltic Fleet is also supported by extensive air and ground forces, although their role is coastal defense, and except for some of the aircraft they are not a threat to ships in the open sea.

However, while the Baltic Fleet looks impressive on paper, the truth is that not all the ships are operational. The flagship and one of the frigates have been officially “undergoing repairs” for years, and some ships have not left port for a long time. Determining which ships are operational or in refit can be difficult, but the fact is that some ships have little capability, but remain flying an ensign so that crews are entitled to be paid.

Even the operational ships are in many respects badly outdated. It is debatable whether they could face the modern vessels of other Baltic Sea nations. Even the Baltic states, that never had very powerful navies, are now served by advanced Triton mercenary vessels. The truth is that Russia's domestic shipbuilding industry has been in decline as to their capabilities of constructing contemporary hardware efficiently. Some analysts even say that because of this Russia's naval capabilities have been facing a slow but certain "irreversible collapse".
Indeed, the open secret is that Russia has quietly started using Triton for Baltic operations as well. The nation has not decommissioned its own fleet – Russia has always been touchy about prestige – and officially Triton vessels are contracted by various Russian corporations. But the majority of those corporations are owned by the government, so no one is fooled about where the orders come from. While some Baltic Fleet vessels still go out on patrol, only the direct safety of Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg is still under the direct authority of the Baltic Fleet, and open sea patrols are little more than parade, with the ships under strict orders not to engage even the Buccaneers or the Raiders of Thule. Raiders in particular are fond of openly taunting the crews of the Baltic Fleet.

For the Buccaneer crews, this has caused a funny situation where the crews of the Russian Baltic Fleet can be their best pals. The crews, badly paid to begin with, have not taken getting sidelined by the mercenaries well. The Baltic Fleet has a long and proud history. Some people have left and joined the Buccaneers, and those who still serve can be good sources of information and assistance as long as you are friendly and respectful. Buying a few drinks for Russian sailors on shore leave can provide good tips, especially of the sort that can get Triton or the Raiders taken down a notch. And a Russian patrol ship might be willing to perform a “sea rescue” and tow a damaged Buccaneer vessel to Ålandic waters, particularly if the crew gets something for it. If you can get extra friendly with some ship’s crew, they might even “misplace” weapons or gear, or agree to act as cover or distraction. 

Buccaneer wisdom on Russian Baltic Fleet: “Imagine a drunken bear. It may not move much and half the time can’t see where it’s going when it does, but if you laugh at it and it starts heading your way, you will find that it still has claws and teeth and you had better have a bottle of vodka to offer it.”