NOS News•today, 11:12
According to the Belgian Maritime Security Unit (CMB), a number of non-military ships that may be involved in espionage have been spotted in the North Sea in the past six months. The government body reports this to the Belgian public broadcaster VRT. There are also suspicions in the Netherlands.
A spokesperson for CMB says that “at least five merchant ships or fishing vessels passed by, of which we suspect there is more going on.” The spokesperson did not reveal which countries this would involve.
According to CMB, it is difficult to determine whether a ship indeed has a dual function. This is partly because hardly any military ships are used for espionage anymore. “For example, they are merchant ships or at least they appear to be merchant ships. They could also be fishing vessels. That makes detection much more difficult.”
“But we then see that they suddenly start sailing a bit slower,” the spokesperson told the Belgian broadcaster.
There are also speculations in the Netherlands about spy ships off the coast and in the ports, reports the research program Pointer. For example, the Russian fishing company Norebo sails into Groningen’s Eemshaven every two weeks with frozen kibbeling and tasty treats. But it is precisely that company that has been spotted several times in America near nuclear submarines, without a valid reason.
The ships from Norebo in the Netherlands moor near a military area: Defense has its own permanent location there. There are also important infrastructure points nearby, including gas pipelines and wind farms. Pointer asked Norebo for a response, but he did not want to comment on the allegations.
The Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) concluded in its 2023 annual report that the threat of espionage by Russia was “current”. “The Netherlands remains an important espionage target, because our country provided a lot of support to Ukraine.” The intelligence service also reports that the Netherlands is interesting because of the transit of military equipment. Last February, a Russian ship trying to gather information about wind farms was diverted in the North Sea.
Incomprehensible
although Pointer does not mention any concrete evidence about Norebo, Patrick Bolder of the Hague think tank The Hague Center for Strategic Studies (HCSS) tells the program that it is “incomprehensible” that Russian ships still moor at these kinds of places. “We leave a Russian ship on the quay, close to a military transshipment, while we know that the Russians are simply engaged in hybrid warfare.”
Bolder conducted research into the dangers and vulnerability of infrastructure at sea and came to the conclusion that a lot of construction is done at sea, but no thought is given to safety. “It is very strange that we allow ships on which we are almost certain that there are crew on them that carry out military espionage activities. Amazing,” Bolder told the website.
The MIVD was also asked for a response, but was unable to respond substantively to questions from Pointer. The intelligence service did indicate that it was investigating Russian espionage and sabotage at sea.
