A few days ago, the maritime security exercise “Port Defender” came to an end in the Netherlands. Thanks to a task force, cooperation between the three largest players – the navy, national police and coastguard – was improved compared to previous years. “Good news in the event of truly life-threatening situations or large-scale terrorism in ports or at sea,” said the Ministry of Defense in a press release.
The last exercise as part of “Port Defender” took place around 80 kilometers off the Dutch coast. A mock hostage situation was ended on an oil platform. The Defense Dive Group Maritime defused an explosive device in the port of Scheveningen that had been placed near underground infrastructure. This was the first time that cable and pipeline work on the seabed was included in the exercise.
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Chief planner Major Marine Daan emphasized that the Netherlands is heavily dependent on the North Sea and its ports. With 225,000 ship movements per year, it is already one of the busiest areas in the world. The North Sea is important for fishing and the offshore industry. There are also thousands of kilometers of cable and pipeline networks for the supply of gas, data and electricity.
“With the constant expansion of all these infrastructures, their importance will continue to increase,” predicts Daan. “This also applies to the likelihood of attacks. In order to better defend against hybrid threats in a European context, we need to work together more closely. And with neighboring countries such as Germany, Belgium and the UK.”
The geographical focus of “Port Defender” this year was on the ports of Rotterdam and Scheveningen. But also on the sea area around 80 kilometers off the coast and the Haringvliet locks. An intentional collision occurred at the latter. As a result, the locks became unusable, there were problems with water management and shipping traffic stagnated. There was also a hostage situation in which members of the M Squadron (Special Operations Command) intervened. In the scenario, the port of Scheveningen played a role in the upcoming NATO-summit in The Hague.
New management
The Joint Inter Agency Task Force North Sea (JIATF NS) took part in “Port Defender” for the first time. This partnership between Defense (CZSK), National Police and Coast Guard was established to improve cooperation between these three key players. The task force contributes to a better understanding of what is happening in the North Sea and directs operations. The JIATF-NS is in direct contact with the staff for large-scale special operations of the national police.
To facilitate operations on land, at sea and in the air, the landing craft “Zr. Ms Johan de Witt” sailed off the coast. The air force took part in “Port Defender” with Cougar transport helicopters and MQ-9 Reaper drones, among other things. The land forces deployed parts of the Joint ISTAR Command. This unit specializes in collecting and analysing information. The Rotterdam and Haaglanden security regions also made an important contribution to the exercise.
