With the NATO flag elevated, one of the navy’s largest vessels, HMS Carlskrona, monitors the large trading route south of Blekinge.
– We are looking for deviant behaviors in relation to the normal picture. Everything that can be perceived as deviant, we must in some way understand why that deviation has arisen, says the Navy’s operations manager Marko Petkovic.
The sailors on board are scouting against maritime traffic – and match the vessels against lists and databases over interesting vessels, not infrequently part of the so -called Russian shadow fleet.
– It is part of all the vessels that we follow on the Baltic Sea, in that picture it includes what is referred to as the Russian shadow fleet.
The Baltic Sentry effort was initiated as a response to the cable break between Finland and Germany during the Christmas holidays, when the Finnish authorities took the Chinese ship Eagle S on a bare act with the anchor chain out. Yesterday, prosecutors at the National Unit for Security cases announced that another vessel suspected of sabotage against cables – Vezhen – released by Swedish authorities because the incident is considered to be an accident.
– It doesn’t change anything, we still contribute to this situation, no matter what law enforcement authorities come up with, says Marko Petkovic.
He is supported by the Dutch head of NATO’s standing navy SNMG-1.
– Absolutely, there have been several incidents outside the normal so there are good reasons to be here. A lot of strange things happen in the Baltic Sea at the moment and I think we should investigate it until we have received answers to our questions.
Do you think Russia has something to do with this?
– It is an answer that I cannot give, but what is interesting is that all these vessels that have shown strange behavior either go to or from Russian ports, what does it mean?
Reports to the authorities
Included in the plans for Baltic Sentry there are scenarios where suspected vessels are boarded, if the NATO forces are commissioned by the countries’ political leaders.
– If the countries want it, we are ready for it, but at the moment we do not have that mandate. Right now, our task is about checking out all vessels that show a strange behavior and report them to local authorities.
– I hope we have seen the last incident, but unfortunately it is probably naive to hope for it.