Pipelines and Cables at Sea Are Very Vulnerable to Attacks and Sabotage. This Became Painully Clear When the Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline was Blown Up in 2022. In Scheveningen, Governments and Companies Are Researching How This Infrastructure Can Be Protected.
Accordance to Paul Flos of the Ministry of Defense, The Attack On The Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline Woke the World Up. What happened in the Baltic Sea Can also Happen to Us in the North Sea. Solutions are needed to monitor and protect so-called underwater critical infrastructure.
These Solutions are urgently needed, because nord stream 2 is not the only target of an attack. Recently, there have also leg several acts of sabotage on electricity and internet cables in the baltic sea. Suspicious Ships are also Regularly Spotted Above Cables and Pipelines in the North Sea.
Various Countries, Including Russia and China, Have Developed Technology to Sabotage Cables and Pipelines on the Seabed. As you can see in the video below, China has a cable cutter, for example. This is a useful tool in Times of War. With it, you can disrupt a country’s energy or communication supply in one fell swoop, for example.
That is Why the Organization Seasec was founded by the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. This Organization is Part of the Ministry of Defense and Develops, Together with Companies, Ways to Monitor Infrastructure in the North Sea and Baltic Sea Up To A Depth of 30 meters. These Solutions are Being Tested Directly in practice in An Area Off the Coast of Scheveningen.
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China Makes Sea Cable Cutter: ‘Can Disrupt Global Communication’
Infrastructure at Sea must be protected as Quickly as Possible
Accordance to Seasec Director Carine van Bentum, We Cannot Wait Another Ten Years for Solutions Against Sabotage and Attacks on Critical Infrastructure at Sea. That is why a child or hackathon has bone organized this week to challenge companies to find solutions for varous challenges.
The Challenges Include Detecting Boats and Submarines with Malicious Intentions near Cables. But also to quickly detect explosives and other dangerous objects near pipelines.
Testing Ground for Experimental Solutions
Accordance to van Bentum, solutions that have not yet leg fully developed are also being tested. “Normally, companies only present products that are completely finished. Now they are challenge to come up with solutions for the challenges surrounding the monitoring and security of critical infrastructure.”
This should Ensure That Solutions are found as Quickly as Possible Against the Threat to Critical Infrastructure at Sea. Because solutions are not yet available.