The increased presence of Russian spy ships in the North Sea has spurred Belgium and five other North Sea countries to prevent sabotage, which could seriously disrupt energy supplies, internet connection or banking traffic.
In the wake of the sabotage of the Nord Stream underwater gas pipelines last year and the heightened presence of Russian spies in the North Sea, the security of critical underwater infrastructure has been placed at the top of the agenda for the six North Sea countries, including Belgium. They have agreed to collaborate to improve the security in the area.
"The North Sea contains a great deal of critical infrastructure such as gas and oil pipelines, power cables and data cables," Belgium's North Sea Minister Paul Van Tigchelt (Open VLD) said. Two large gas pipelines arrive in Zeebrugge, for instance.
"Sabotage could very seriously disrupt our energy supply, but also internet connection or banking traffic. The threat is real; we should not be naive about that."
Uniform protection
The North Sea countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, the UK and Denmark) have bolstered cooperation on security since the North Sea Summit in April last year, when they signed the North Sea Security Pact.
This aims to ensure that offshore and underwater infrastructure across borders get the same protection by agreeing on a common approach to security in close cooperation with NATO and the EU.
The countries' ministers also agreed to take into account potential risks and threats from the start of the development of infrastructure, by equipping them with landing stages for drones, underwater acoustic detection shields and camera security, among others.
Belgium has also freed up €1 million to set up the secure platform 'NorthSeal', allowing for the exchange of information on security incidents and suspicious ship movements. Measures are also being implemented to ensure that swift action is taken.
