NATO ships monitor Baltic: Suspicious ship maneuvers spotted
The Belgian commander of the NATO ship group, Commander Erik Kockx, stated on Tuesday in Stockholm that since the start of the "Baltic Sentry" mission in January, no incidents involving damage to underwater infrastructure, such as cable breaks, have been reported. However, he emphasized that suspicious maneuvers by some merchant ships have been observed.
What do you need to know?
- Operation 'Baltic Sentry': Since January, NATO has been patrolling the Baltic Sea to prevent incidents such as the severing of underwater cables.
- Suspicious maneuvers: Commander Erik Kockx noticed strange behavior from merchant ships, which ceased after approaching NATO vessels.
- Neutralization of threats: Nine explosive devices from the world wars were neutralized in the Gulf of Riga.
When we were approaching their activity area, they suddenly changed course and continued their voyage as if nothing had happened,” reported Kockx, noting that it is difficult to unequivocally determine whether these were attempts at sabotage.
NATO ships in the Baltic – Commander: Vigilance is necessary
On Tuesday, a group of NATO units—including mine sweepers and ships equipped for underwater operations from Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Estonia—set sail from the Frihamnen port in Stockholm after resupplying. An officer from Poland is on board one of the ships. The operation is also supported by units from Germany and Norway.
Besides monitoring sea activity, the ships participating in Baltic Sentry are neutralizing unexploded munitions from World War I and II. The commander of the Swedish mine destroyer Ulvön, Mathias Hagberg, informed that a few days earlier, nine explosive devices were neutralized in the Gulf of Riga.
The military is assisted by artificial intelligence
He reminded that unexploded munitions could pose a real threat, for instance, if accidentally caught by fishermen or washed ashore.
Commander Kockx will lead the mission until June, after which the Latvians will take over for another six months. He highlighted that the activities within Baltic Sentry involve not only the presence of naval units but also cooperation with air forces, coast guards, police, and other services of the Baltic countries. The military is assisted by artificial intelligence in analyzing ship movements.
