Security of Underwater/Overwater Installations - Cables and Piplines, Oil Rigs etc

[Pelican]

The intention of this thread is to draw together information about both offensive and defensive actions being taken by various nations both friendnley and otherwise.

Russian spy ship off Scottish coast

The Russian spy ship ‘Admiral Vladimirskiy’ is off the eastern coast of Scotland heading south.
The vessel, designed to conduct underwater scientific research, left the Baltic Sea earlier this month.
According to the blog PlentyofShips, the Admiral Vladmirskiy is the sole survivor of a six unit class of large scientific vessels known as Expeditionary Oceanographic Ships (EOS).
“Admiral Vladimirskiy is a very capable scientific vessel particularly in regard to underwater scientific research. Whilst not owned or operated by the highly secretive underwater surveillance & warfare unit known as the Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research (GUGI) or the PP Shirshov Institute of Oceanology whose vessels regularly collect underwater intelligence particularly near underwater cables, the Admiral Vladimirskiy’s scientific data collection is highly likely used to supplement intelligence gleaned by the GUGI & PP Shirshov scientific fleets & could be used for future surveillance mission planning. Admiral Vladimirskiy’s future tasking is unknown at this time.”
Concerns raised over underwater security
The Admiral Vladimirskiy entered the Moray Firth on 10 November 2022. The vessel was located inside the Moray Firth Scottish Marine Region around 30 nautical miles east of Lossiemouth, home to the RAF’s Maritime Patrol Aircraft fleet, during the late afternoon and was continuing to head slowly west.
Again according to PlentyofShips, the Admiral Vladimirskiy had tracked north west, outside the UK twelve-mile limit.
“With no adverse weather reported in the region and with UK – Russia relations at an all-time low, her arrival in the Firth is of concern. As a scientific vessel with the potential to conduct covert underwater reconnaissance activity, Admiral Vladimirskiy is a Vessel-of-Interest for western Navies which are keen to understand more about Russia’s secretive underwater intelligence gathering activity therefore, it is no surprise that Admiral Vladimirskiy is being closely shadowed by the Royal Navy during her time in the Firth.”
For photo and comment about the ship see - https://twitter.com/CovertShores/status ... 6015709186

From <https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/russian ... OpiosWNwkw>

[Pelican]

The Fourth Battle of the Atlantic Is Underway

A battle for the undersea domain between North America and the European continent was already underway in 2016, my colleague, Dr. Alarik Fritz and I warned that year. Any doubts about this were surely removed by September’s unattributed attack on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea by some nefarious adversary.

This was no accident — rather it was deliberate sabotage — as stated by Swedish investigators and the European Union (EU.) To date, no state or non-state actor has taken credit for the act, although widespread speculation blames the Russian Federation for the explosions.

“This is not a kinetic fight,” we wrote in 2016. “It is a struggle between Russian forces that probe for weakness, and US and NATO anti-submarine warfare (ASW) forces that protect and deter. Just like in the Cold War, the stakes are high.”

Continues - https://cepa.org/article/the-fourth-bat ... -underway/

[Pelican]

The Russian Navy is believed to have operated a mini-submarine at the Nord Stream sites days before the explosions. This calls into question previous theories.

For many years, the scene of the Nord Stream attacks northeast of the Danish island of Bornholm was nothing more than a random spot in the Baltic Sea. Located just outside the Danish and Swedish radar zones. There is nothing but water as far as the eye can see. And beneath it, at a depth of nearly 80 meters, four gas pipelines whose exact location was known only to insiders at most.

Continues at - https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/deu ... sions.html

[Pelican]

‘Cold War’ concerns about Russian ship patrolling coast

Concerns have been raised about a Russian tug, potentially carrying out a “military” role, which has been seen sailing back and forth east of Shetland.
The Nikolay Chiker has repeatedly sailed past Unst – and Saxa Vord – and down towards Fetlar, before turning and heading back up towards Unst.
Continues at - https://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2023/03 ... ling-coast - LFT

[Pelican]

Disclosure: Russian spy ships are preparing possible sabotage against offshore wind turbines, gas pipes and power cables in Denmark and the Nordics

DR was met by a masked man with a military rifle on the sea off Sjællands Odde when a Russian naval ship stopped in the Kattegat.
Continues at - https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/moerk ... botage-mod

See also - https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/ru ... 82ea&ei=21

[Pelican]

Navy Lookout

Latest news commentary on Russian spy ships mapping undersea infrastructure in the North Sea is at:
https://www.navylookout.com/russian-spy ... north-sea/

[emason]

Disclosure: Russian spy ships are preparing possible sabotage against offshore wind turbines, gas pipes and power cables in Denmark and the Nordics

DR was met by a masked man with a military rifle on the sea off Sjællands Odde when a Russian naval ship stopped in the Kattegat.

Do we know if our undersea pipes and cables are regularly checked for the presence of explosive devices possibly deposited by these Russian 'survey' vessels?

[Pelican]

We have made a start Bill - viewtopic.php?t=3967

[emason]

We have made a start Bill - viewtopic.php?t=3967

Just the one?
I suspect that we will need a couple more to cover the thousands of miles of cables, pipes etc. on a regular basis, to allow for refits, maintenance and other exigencies.

But as you say, it is a start - albeit a late one.

[Pelican]

Russian ‘spy ship’ in North Sea raises concerns about the vulnerability of key maritime infrastructure

A new documentary produced by a consortium of public broadcasters in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway has revealed what appears to be a profound threat to maritime and undersea energy and data infrastructure in the North Sea and the Baltic region.

The Shadow War includes footage of a Russian research vessel called Admiral Vladimirsky allegedly collecting data on windfarms, gas pipelines, power and internet cables.

The film, which has been widely reported in the UK press this week, asserts that Russia is systematically mapping the vulnerabilities of maritime infrastructure in the North Sea. This would enable Russia to learn of any weak spots – for instance, the locations where underwater energy and data cables intersect, making it easier to mount a sabotage attack if the Kremlin deemed it necessary.

These reports don’t tell maritime security experts anything they don’t already know. We have known for a long time that Russian forces are mapping maritime infrastructures, including wind farms, communication cables and pipelines. Indeed, back in the 1990s and 2000s, when Nato and Russia were cooperating on some security issues, Russian spying activities in Nordic waters never stopped. In 2013, I was taken on a Royal Navy vessel to the North Sea where part of its mission was to look out for Russian spy ships.
Continues at - https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/russian ... 2F35Gnmsh8