Belgium says it is investigating the presence of a Russian “spy ship” in the North Sea amid concerns it may “suspiciously approach our wind farms, undersea gas and data cables and other critical infrastructure”.
Vincent Van Quickenborne, Belgian deputy prime minister and minister for justice and the North Sea, made the announcement after the Netherlands said on Monday it had detected a Russian vessel trying to obtain information to “sabotage” energy infrastructure in an offshore wind farm in the Dutch part of the North Sea, according to Reuters.
“We don’t know the exact motives of this Russian vessel, but we are not naive,” Van Quickenborne said in a statement, describing the vessel found in the Belgian North Sea as a “spy vessel”.
“Especially if it behaves suspiciously near our wind farms, undersea gas and data cables and other critical infrastructure,” he added.
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Belgium says it is investigating the presence of a Russian “spy ship” in the Belgian North Sea. (Michael Jacobs/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images/Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Although the Russian vessel was first sighted in November, it has switched off its AIS tracking signal, according to AFP.
“The passage of this ship should undoubtedly be seen in the broader context of the war in Ukraine,” Van Quickenborne said.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.
Wind turbines are seen in the North Sea in Scheveningen, the Netherlands.
Earlier this week, the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) said a Russian vessel tried to obtain more information about its energy infrastructure in the North Sea but was escorted away from the area by ships of the Dutch navy and coastguard, Reuters reports. .
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“In recent months we have seen Russian actors trying to find out how the energy system works in the North Sea. It is the first time we have seen this,” said MIVD director General Jan Swillens.
“Russia is mapping how our wind farms work in the North Sea,” he said. “They are very interested in how they might sabotage the energy infrastructure.”
