The Ministry of Defence of the Netherlands is considering hiring private companies to guard the North Sea because the navy and coastguard do not have enough equipment and personnel. The decision follows research findings on Russian spying activities in the region among others investigated by Pointer KRO-NCRV and VRT NWS in cooperation with six other countries.
Defence is seeking temporary patrol capacity until new ships are available. This is the first time military tasks have been outsourced to private parties in peacetime. There are concerns about powers and responsibilities, especially the use of force by hired personnel. Defence is examining whether armed patrols are necessary, but there is support for unarmed patrols with maritime drones as an alternative.
The investigation into ‘Russian Spy Ships’ was done with following partners:
VRT NWS (Belgium), KRO-NCRV (Netherlands), NDR-WDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany), NRK (Norway), ERR (Estonia). These media also helped gather data: DR (Denmark), Yle (Finland); SVT (Sweden), BBC (UK), Marineschepen.nl, Vake.ai, Marinetraffic.com and Dossier Centre
Image: Patrol vessel Pollux
Source: Gerd Fahrenhorst, via Wikimedia Commons
