According to research by journalists from public broadcasters WDR, NDR and the Süddeutsche Zeitung, German security agencies are currently investigating the circumstances of a possible sabotage on the warship Emden. As they announced, the Hamburg Office for Combating Crime has taken over the investigation into the case.
The commander of the German Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kack, confirmed after the publication of media reports that saboteurs had targeted German warships on multiple occasions, meaning that it was not just one such act. At a rally in Berlin, Kack said that there was “more than one unit of destruction, i.e. sabotage”. He added that appropriate measures had been taken to protect the ships of the German Navy.
Unknown persons, according to media reports, have thrown tens of kilograms of metal shavings into the engine of the ship "Emden". This was discovered during an inspection at the Blom+Fos shipyard, just before its maiden voyage in mid-January this year. The ship was supposed to be completely cleaned before being handed over to the German Navy.
The shipyard has not yet handed over the Emden to the Navy, it is claimed. According to warship experts, the metal shavings could cause major damage to the vessels themselves if not detected in time. In addition, the time for the ship's delivery to the Bundeswehr could be significantly extended.
A spokesman for the shipyard, when asked by reporters about the specific incident, said that his company would not comment on issues related to the case. The Hamburg Crime Office and the relevant Hamburg State Prosecutor's Office also confirmed that they would not comment on the sabotage.
NATO warns of increased number of attacks
The circumstances of the sabotage attempt are still unclear. What is known is that the German Navy urgently needs the corvette "Emden". The ship is supposed to be used in maritime surveillance, which is an important task, especially at a time when NATO is warning of an increase in the intensity of hybrid attacks by Russia, including in the Baltic Sea.
Back in May 2023, when the warship Emden was launched, the mayor of the North Frisian city whose name the vessel bears proudly said that “‘Emden’ is the embodiment of the strength and courage of our Navy.” Vice Admiral Frank Lenski, deputy commander of the German Navy, called the new corvette “another important step in the direction of rejuvenating our fleet.” This, he emphasized, creates the foundation for “increasing our presence and combat power on the northern flank, and especially in the Baltic.”
The Bundeswehr has ordered a total of five new Class 130 corvettes at a cost of two billion euros. They are being built at several shipyards in northern Germany, including the Blom+Fos shipyard in Hamburg, a company belonging to the NVL (Naval Vessels Lürssen) group from Bremen, which is coordinating the implementation of the project.
Drones over Germany
Regardless of the latest incident on the corvette "Emden", German security authorities have been warning for months about an increase in the number of possible Russian espionage actions, or sabotage, throughout Europe - primarily related to military targets. In Germany, for example, increasingly frequent flights of unknown drones have recently been observed, flying over Bundeswehr facilities, industrial plants, and even over the American military base Ramstein.
In January, unmanned aerial vehicles were also spotted above the German Air Force facility in Schwesing, Schleswig-Holstein. Ukrainian soldiers are being trained there, among other things, to operate the Patriot air defense system. So far, German authorities have failed to defend themselves against the drones, or to find out where they came from or where they went.
Kak: "They are testing us."
"The commander of the German Navy, Kak, says that, in addition to attempted sabotage on ships, there are also cases in which some unauthorized persons have tried to enter German Navy facilities, or that they have tried to "get close" to soldiers in uniform while they were on their way home. "Our assessment is: they are testing us. They are trying to instill insecurity in society, in the state, and even in the Alliance. And thus perhaps creating the foundations for possible later military activities," the German vice admiral assessed.
The German Navy, according to Kak, introduced certain preventive measures on this issue back in 2022: "The growing threat from Russia is a more urgent matter at the beginning of 2025 than the situation that prevailed two years ago. Experts and secret services agree that Russia will be able to enter into conflict with NATO from 2029," warns German Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kak.
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