NorthSeal increases security in the North Sea

This week saw the operational start of NorthSeal, an advanced international platform for protecting the North Sea. The launch is a new milestone in the fight against sabotage, espionage and other threats to critical infrastructure at sea.
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28 January 2025
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The North Sea, a crucial hub for energy supply, internet connections and international trade, is under pressure. Recent incidents involving foreign ships sailing through the North Sea without AIS (Automatic Identification System) and sabotage of submarine infrastructure, such as the Nord Stream pipeline, have shown that the threat is real.

The increased presence of Russian ships, often accompanied by military vessels, emphasises the need for a coordinated approach. “The Cold War seems to be returning, with a new front in the North Sea,” according to Belgian North Sea Minister Paul Van Tigchelt.

North Sea Security Pact

The need to strengthen the security of the North Sea led to the creation of the North Sea Security Pact in 2023, in the context of the North Sea Summit in Ostend, with six North Sea countries - Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom and Denmark - joining forces.

Since then, Belgium has been proactively developing the NorthSeal platform, which is at the heart of this collaboration. The platform was designed by Belgian Secure Communications (BSC) with the utmost attention to security and user-friendliness.

North Stream explosion
Results of the explosion of the Nord Stream pipeline

A technological breakthrough in security

After a test phase, NorthSeal went live on 15 January. This platform enables the maritime information bodies of the participating countries to monitor suspicious ship movements in real time, exchange information and quickly analyse threats.

NorthSeal will function as a crucial link for the security of the North Sea, making information about threats to shipping in the vicinity of strategic infrastructure - such as pipelines and data cables - available more quickly to all participating countries.

Protecting our critical infrastructure in the North Sea is vital for our energy supply, internet, communication and safety. Sitting idle is not an option. We are working together much more intensively on an international scale. With this launch, Belgium is demonstrating its pioneering role and commitment to a safe North Sea for future generations. The next step is to further expand the Safety Pact to include other countries around the North Sea and to increase our military presence in the North Sea. I hope that the next administration will work on this.

Minister Paul Van Tigchelt

Paul Van Tigchelt

Belgian North Sea Minister

This joint initiative increases vigilance and enables the countries involved to act in a coordinated manner in the event of incidents that pose a risk to regional security.

The platform is designed to allow NATO to participate in the information exchange. NATO is included in NorthSeal as an optional partner and will have access to information shared by the other countries. This strengthens international coordination and contributes to the protection of strategic infrastructure in the region.

Disclaimer

This article is based on a press release of the Belgian Ministry of Justice and the North Sea. A number of changes have been made for the sake of clarity and layout.

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