Fears over Russian threat to Norway’s energy infrastructure
By MARK LEWIS today
FILE - The Sleipner A gas platform, Norway - Photo: Equinor
STAVANGER,
Norway (AP) — Norwegian oil and gas workers normally don’t see anything more
threatening than North Sea waves crashing against the steel legs of their
offshore platforms. But lately they have noticed a more troubling sight:
unidentified drones buzzing in the skies overhead.
With Norway replacing Russia as
Europe’s main source of natural gas, military experts suspect the unmanned
aircraft are Moscow’s doings. They list espionage, sabotage and intimidation as
possible motives for the drone flights.
The
Norwegian government has sent warships, coastguard vessels and fighter jets to
patrol around the offshore facilities. Norway’s national guard stationed
soldiers around onshore refineries that also were buzzed by drones.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has
invited the navies of NATO allies Britain, France and Germany to help address
what could be more than a Norwegian problem.
Precious
little of the offshore oil that provides vast income for Norway is used by the
country’s 5.4 million inhabitants. Instead, it powers much of Europe. Natural
gas is another commodity of continental significance.
“The
value of Norwegian gas to Europe has never been higher,” Ståle Ulriksen, a
researcher at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy, said. “As a strategic target
for sabotage, Norwegian gas pipelines are probably the highest value target in
Europe.”
Closures
of airports, and evacuations of an oil refinery and
a gas terminal last week due to drone sightings caused huge disruptions. But
with winter approaching in Europe, there is worry the drones may portend a bigger threat to
the 9,000 kilometers (5,600 miles) of gas pipelines that spider from Norway’s
sea platforms to terminals in Britain and mainland Europe.
Since the
start of the war in Ukraine in late February, European Union countries have
scrambled to replace their Russian gas imports with shipments from Norway.
The suspected sabotage of
the Nordstream I and II pipelines in the Baltic Sea last month happened a day
before Norway opened a new Baltic pipeline to Poland.
Amund
Revheim, who heads the North Sea and environment group for Norway’s South West
Police force, said his team interviewed more than 70 offshore workers who have
spotted drones near their facilities.
“The
working thesis is that they are controlled from vessels or submarines nearby,”
Revheim said.
Winged
drones have a longer range, but investigators considered credible a sighting of
a helicopter-style bladed model near the Sleipner platform, located in a North
Sea gas field 250 kilometers (150 miles) from the coast.
Norwegian
police have worked closely with military investigators who are analyzing marine
traffic. Some platform operators have reported seeing Russian-flagged research
vessels in close vicinity. Revheim said no pattern has been established from
legal marine traffic and he is concerned about causing unnecessary, disruptive
worry for workers.
But
Ulriksen, of the naval academy, said the distinction between Russian civilian
and military ships is narrow and the reported research vessels could fairly be
described as “spy ships.”
The
arrest of at least seven Russian nationals caught
either carrying or illegally flying drones over Norwegian territory has raised
tensions. On Wednesday, the same day a drone sighting grounded planes in
Bergen, Norway’s second-biggest city, the Norwegian Police Security
Service took over the case from local
officers.
“We have
taken over the investigation because it is our job to investigate espionage and
enforce sanction rules against Russia,” Martin Bernsen, an official with the
service known by the Norwegian acronym PST. He said the “sabotage or possible
mapping” of energy infrastructure was an ongoing concern.
Støre,
the prime minister, warned that Norway would take action against foreign
intelligence agencies. “It is not acceptable for foreign intelligence to fly
drones over Norwegian airports. Russians are not allowed to fly drones in
Norway,” he said.
Russia’s
Embassy in Oslo hit back Thursday, claiming that Norway was experiencing a form
of “psychosis” causing “paranoia.”
Naval
academy researcher thinks that is probably part of the plan.
“Several
of the drones have been flown with their lights on,” he said. “They are
supposed to be observed. I think it is an attempt to intimidate Norway and the
West.”
The wider
concern is that they are part of a hybrid strategy to both intimidate and
gather information on vital infrastructure, which could later be targeted for
sabotage in a potential strike against the West.
“I do not
believe we are heading for a conventional war with Russia,” Ulriksen said. “But
a hybrid war … I think we are already in it.”
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.