NATO is increasingly developing activities to guarantee the safety of its members. The allies pay peculiar attention to the protection of critical infrastructure at the bottom of the Baltic. This task is carried out by participants of Operation Baltic Sentry. Ships of the Natovian SNMCMG1 squad besides appeared in the Gulf of Pomerania.
Operation Baltic Sentry It's getting fast. NATO ships, which aim to monitor the key routes and critical infrastructure in the Baltic, are increasingly showing their presence besides on Polish waters. In early March of that year, SNMCMG1 units (Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1), 1 of the 4 teams of the Allied consequence Force, rolled into the Świnoujście. “We are here to replenish fuel, water and food supplies, in words: to re-create readiness for further action,” explained Mr. Soon, the ships returned to the sea, and for a minute we could look behind the scenes of the mission that their crews carry out.
NATO in formation
On open decks containers with food and equipment, a spacious bridge, dense device guns on the sides – HNLMS “Luymes” makes a solid impression. The Dutch ship is simply a hydrographic unit, but can successfully service as a platform for commanding against mine forces. It was on his board in mid-January that the staff was located, which directs the activities of SNMCMG1. – Currently, the squad consists of 4 ships. In addition to ‘Luymes’, it consists of the min destroyers HNLMS ‘Schiedam’ from the Netherlands, HSwMS ‘Ulvön’ from Sweden, and HNoMS ‘Hinnoy’ from Norway, according to kmdr Kockx. The first 2 will work with us in the Gulf of Pomerania, the last 1 performing tasks in another part of the Baltic.
But it's not for long. For now, we are approaching the heads of the gynouian port, passing cranes, warehouses of goods and moored by the waterfront of the unit. Finally, on the right side, Gasoport emerges – 1 of the key places in the economical bloodstream of Poland. Here, they are guided by liquefied fuel tankers, and the supply itself is the link of a complex puzzle that is to guarantee central Europe's independency from natural materials from Russia. "Baltic Sentry" has been initiated, inter alia, to defender the uninterrupted operation of specified installations.
Meanwhile, Luymes is already on advanced seas. Next to us are the shapes of another ships. So there are 2 mentioned mine destroyers, but also the ORP "Contradmiral Xavery Czernicki" from the 8th Coast Defence Fleet. Iks, as the sailors call him, took part in the missions of the mine teams on respective occasions. Now he will join SNMCMG1 again – this time for a fewer hours to practice. For starters, the ships form the track formation. They go after each other, then they make a turn. We've got them on the left side soon. In the following hours, they will change their position a fewer more times. specified maneuvers are an integral part of all exercise. During these sessions, crews refresh communication procedures and play tricks, based on NATO rules. This is 1 way to strengthen interoperability, which is 1 of the pillars of the Alliance. NATO consists of 32 countries. all day, soldiers and sailors from associate States usage different languages, partially utilizing different equipment. But during joint operations, missions, or on the battlefield, they must realize in half a word. Act like a well-oiled mechanism.
Manoeuvring isn't all. The exercise script besides provides for a seabed study. So we go to the stern of the ship, where the towed sonar lies on the beds. shortly the device will be lowered to the water, the ship will pull it along, and the image recorded by it through the fibre optic will go consecutive to the operator's position. Sonar can work practically all the time. We utilized it all day in the North Sea for 2 weeks – said Lt. Sjoet, a Dutch officer from the HNLMS crew "Luymes" (as he explains, for his own safety he can only pass on a degree and a name; only a few, including the squad commander and the commander of the individual ships, can operate fully.) The device has already been utilized during the "Baltic Sentry". “We have scanned the bottom in areas where critical infrastructure is located, besides in Polish waters. Now we have an image of the underwater installations, supplemented with data provided to us by your jacket. If we get any disturbing signals, we'll mirror the pipes and cables again. We'll put on pictures and see if they're all right," the officer explains. But not only does the command ship execute akin tasks. shortly I will have the chance to look at the actions of sailors outside his crew.
How to Build Awareness
Putting on an orange suit that should defend me from wind and water is rather a feat. Especially if you're wearing winter shoes and a solid jacket. After a fewer minutes of fixing, however, I tighten the locks. Now all you gotta do is put on a life coat and you can get in the boat. I'm sitting right behind the helm, and the crane is slow leaving us for the sea. A fewer minutes later, the boat runs a quiet Baltic area today. We are heading consecutive for the Swedish destroyer min HSwMS "Ulvön". shortly we'll be equal to him, but the ship's not slowing down. The sailors only leave the line ladder, on which I am laboriously climbing along the side. erstwhile I put my feet on board, I breathe with relief. "Ulvön" is simply a Koster kind unit. It is nearly 50 m long and the crew consists of 30 officers, enlisted officers and sailors. In a sense, they are making history. "Ulvön" is the first Swedish ship to permanently join the NATO team. – We joined the Alliance recently, but after all, we have been cooperating with the Natov ships as part of the “Partnership for Peace” since 1997. We know the procedure. That's why this mission is simply a small "business as usual" for us, provided by kmdr Lt. Mathias Hägberg, the commander of the unit.
Before we look at the tasks the crew performs during the exercise, the officer takes us for a short walk around the unit. We look at a tiny bridge, from which you can see a 40-millimeter cannon on the bow – the main weapon against threats from the air and sea surface. We proceed to visit the combat and information centre (CIC) where sailors around the clock collect data from ship sensors. Thanks to this, they build the alleged situational consciousness, or, in another words, cognition of what happens in the vicinity of the ship underwater, on its surface and above it.
After visiting the CIC, we go below deck to see the cyclone propulsors, thanks to which "Ulvön" can turn almost in place. Finally, we halt at submarines for a while. Seamen have 2 types of specified devices at their disposal. They usage Sea Foxes – kamikaze drones to blow up mines and unexploded bombs. However, the most crucial is Saab's Double Eagle Mk II. This 340 kg vehicle can sink to 350 m depth. It is utilized to identify objects lying on the bottom and, if necessary, may plant explosives under them. And it is he who will be utilized during the inactive ongoing exercises.
I'm looking at the stern again. There are sailors in helmets on the vehicle. 1 of them checks the operation of individual rotors and lights through the console. Finally, Double Eagle is picked up by a crane and lowered to the sea. The centrifuges begin to melt water, the vehicle for a minute slid right on the side of the ship, yet disappearing below the surface. Only a thick, orange cable comes out of the debris, which connects it to the deck.
I'm looking at the bridge again. 1 of the monitors shows the image recorded by Double Eagle's camera. The mission does not last long – only about an hour. But as the ship's commander admits, the vehicle had been left for sea before. And it'll most likely be many more times. – In SNMCMG1, we will stay together for 2 months. Then we will be replaced by the duplicate ship HSwMS “Kullen” – said Mr. Hägberg.
The Alliance is watching
Exercises in the Gulf of Pomerania It only lasted 1 day. After their completion, the ships set out for another patrol. SNMCMG1 should operate on all waters of northern Europe as assumed. But now the team's activity is mainly focused on the Baltic Sea. And all due to the operation already mentioned ‘Baltic Sentry’. A series of incidents reported at the end of last year became an impulse to start it. It was then that ships flowing to and from Russian ports damaged the infrastructure located on the seabed respective times. Towed by the bottom anchors damaged power and telecommunications cables. Earlier in akin circumstances, the Baltic tube gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was destroyed. And while the ships liable for this flow under different flags, many traces of them lead to Russia. Experts repeat that In the Baltic, the Western hybrid war began for goodAnd NATO's trying to fix it.
Kmdr Kockx admits that in fresh weeks sailors from SNMCMG1 have been observing ship's unusual behaviour. – any of our units abruptly stopped, changed course. Their intentions are hard to prove, but I am certain that our presence has allowed to prevent the infrastructure from further destruction," he emphasises. He besides adds that Natov patrols are a kind of demonstration. A signal sent to your opponents: "Whatever you intend to do, you better give up, due to the fact that it will surely be noticed and will be responded accordingly." As it may look, the Finns have late shown, who stopped and escorted the oil tanker "Eagle S", suspected of damage, among others, to the power cable EstLink 2. The ship stood idle in the Finnish port for 2 months, which generated tremendous losses for its owners.
Poland ‘Gulf“
Meanwhile, "Baltic Sentry" is not the only specified undertaking. Poland has been implementing its own offshore critical infrastructure shield operation for almost 3 years. As part of the Bay, units regularly go to the sea 3 Fleet Ships and 8 Coast defence Fleets. The Centre for Maritime Operations – the Command of the Marine Component in Gdynia – is in charge. “The situation in the Baltic is inactive unstable, and it is changing dynamically,” he admits to cadmium. Piotr Sikora, 8 FOW commander. As he adds, the ships under his authority monitor the situation related to the movement of gas carriers in the vicinity of the Saint Vincentian LNG terminal. They are besides guarding the Baltic tube pipeline, which is being pressed with gas from Norway. And that's not over. The 8 FOW destroyers, which are stationed in Gdynia all day, patrol the Gulf of Gdańsk and the south-eastern part of the Baltic. There are, among others, shipping routes leading to the three-city container terminals as well as naphthoport in Gdańsk. Meanwhile, critical infrastructure at sea is rising. shortly a wind farm and a floating gas terminal will be established on the Polish coast. “Any suspicious activity of the vessels on these waters will be thoroughly checked by us,” he points out. Sikora.
Of course, the Bay is not completely disconnected from the Baltic Sentry. The States of the Alliance on the Baltic Sea are constantly exchanging information to minimise the hazard of further incidents. However, unfortunately, it should be assumed that attempts to hit critical infrastructure will not halt soon. Russia, even after a possible truce or peace ending the war in Ukraine, will not quit its imperial ambitions. At least so far, it doesn't indicate much. And the main opponent of the Kremlin remains the West – in fresh times limited primarily to European countries. The Baltic itself, due to the circumstantial law in force in the seas, is simply a convenient space for hybrid activities – a substitute for an open war that the Russians will most likely not decide to do for various reasons.
