A recent investigation has revealed that Russia’s fleet of alleged spy ships operating in the North Sea has grown to nearly 200 civilian vessels. The joint investigation by Belgian newspaper De Tijd and the Follow the Money platform, published on June 20, indicates that Russia has significantly increased the number of cargo ships, fishing boats, research vessels, oil tankers, and pleasure yachts suspected of gathering intelligence on critical infrastructure and pipelines.
According to De Tijd and Follow the Money, 167 non-military Russian ships have conducted 945 suspicious activities near essential infrastructure in the North Sea over the past decade. These activities include research vessels, cargo ships, refrigerated ships, tankers, fishing boats, and passenger vehicles. The investigation found that the ships often loiter within a kilometer of pipes and cables, suggesting a potential threat to vital infrastructure.
Thomas De Spiegelaere, spokesperson for the Directorate General of Shipping, explained that while deviating sailing patterns are not inherently suspicious, they raise concerns when they occur above pipelines and cables. European authorities are increasingly worried that Russia might target underwater cables and pipes for sabotage, tapping, or manipulation.
The report notes that these vessels are primarily docked in Germany, Norway, and the Netherlands and are suspected of engaging in nearly 1,000 instances of espionage in the economic zones of Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Norway. Since 2014, Russian ships have been linked to spying on infrastructure in the North Sea, with a previous investigation by Nordic public broadcasters identifying at least 50 Russian ships loitering near critical sites during NATO exercises.
Russian-flagged ships are regularly involved in suspicious activities, often under the guise of conducting research, transporting cargo, or fishing. De Spiegelaere emphasized that every Russian ship, even those working for private companies, ultimately serves the Russian government. He acknowledged that underwater infrastructure has not been adequately monitored for years but noted that military attention to this issue has increased since 2019, particularly after the Nord Stream gas pipeline sabotage in 2022.
While no sabotage has been detected on Belgian or Dutch cables, explosives were found on a British cable early in the Ukraine crisis. The Belgian Federal Public Service of Mobility and Transport’s Maritime Security Cell has confirmed that Russia could use about 200 civilian vessels for espionage in the North Sea, a practice not seen since the Cold War.
Sweden’s Navy Chief Ewa Skoog Haslum also raised concerns about Russian vessels operating in the Baltic Sea in April. She highlighted that Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, often operating under opaque ownership and lacking proper insurance, could be used for espionage and hybrid operations. These vessels, equipped with communication and signals equipment, have been tracked by the Swedish Navy and are suspected of conducting signals intelligence.
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