The Swedish Maritime Administration is the Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 government agency which provides services to the transport sector by keeping the sea lane

Sea lane

A sea lane or shipping lane is a regularly used route for ocean-going and Great Lakes vessels. In the time of sailing ships they were not only determined by the distribution of land masses but also the prevailing winds, whose discovery was crucial for the success of long voyages...

s open and safe. The agency is to a certain degree financed through fees levied on commercial shipping.

The main services of the Maritime Administration include: pilotage, maintenance of marine fairways, ice-breaking, hydrographics, maritime search and rescue. Until 1 January 2009, it also was responsible for maritime safety inspection. Sea-going vessels navigating the Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...

 must meet certain Ice class

Ice class

Ships with an Ice Class have a strengthened hull to enable them to navigate through sea ice.-History:The first requirements for merchant ships to be escorted by icebreakers were set in Finland in 1890, after winter traffic to the port of Hanko was started. In the past, different classification...

requirement.