Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) remain in constant orbit for extended periods around the Federal Law Enforcement vessel.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) remain in constant orbit for extended periods around the Federal Law Enforcement vessel.

In the North Sea, a German federal police ship was monitoring a Russian freighter en route to Belgium when it was reportedly targeted by several drones on May 17, 2025. Officers onboard the "BP 81 Potsdam" quickly noticed seven unidentified drones following both their patrol vessel and the Russian cargo ship, "Lauga."

According to a confidential situation report obtained by Spiegel Online, the drones persisted in their surveillance for nearly three hours. The police were unable to determine the type of drones involved or where they originated, but they did note the presence of green and red position lights. As it was nighttime and the equipment they had onboard was limited, they were unable to obtain any photographs. It remains unclear whether the drones were launched from the Russian freighter.

Upon arrival in Belgium, the authorities were asked to inspect the freighter, but no evidence of drones was found onboard. This incident marks a worrying pattern of increased maritime surveillance and potential intimidation tactics aimed at European naval forces.

Security agencies have been documenting a steady increase in drone sightings over critical infrastructure and military facilities for years. The German military and police face challenges in disabling these drones or catching their operators. Nightly, unmanned aerial vehicles allegedly fly over maritime bases, harbors, and chemical parks in Northern and Eastern Germany, with wingspans reaching up to five meters.

The North Sea incident fits into a broader pattern of increased Russian maritime activity near European offshore infrastructure and vessels. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO and European countries have been vigilant about suspicious naval maneuvers in the region. The militarization of offshore facilities, such as offshore wind farms, has become a key response to these threats, with military-grade surveillance technology and radar systems being installed to detect potential hostile actions.

This incident underscores the ongoing maritime security challenges that NATO and European coastal states face, including increased surveillance, risk to infrastructure, and heightened naval readiness. The militarization of offshore assets raises questions about the legal status of civilian infrastructure targets in wartime and the cost implications for cooperation between civilian operators and the military.

Source: ntv.de, jpe/AFP

1. Given the event of persistent drone surveillance on a German federal police ship by unknown parties in the North Sea, there is a pressing need for enhanced political cooperation among NATO and European countries to address the common foreign and security policy issues, such as cybersecurity, technology, and politics regarding unmanned aerial vehicles.
2. As the use of drones in maritime operations continues to pose significant threats to European naval forces, it is crucial that the common foreign and security policy of NATO and its allies prioritizes technology advancements in cybersecurity and drone detection systems to counter these aggressions, especially in the context of general-news events like the North Sea incident.

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