The Royal Netherlands Navy escorted the Russian submarine Novorossiysk and the support tug Yakov Grebelskiy during their transit through the North Sea. Both vessels had departed from the Mediterranean Sea and were previously accompanied by a Royal Navy ship in the English Channel. Once in Dutch waters, the hydrographic vessel Zr.Ms. Luymes took over from the British ship and continued monitoring until the vessels left the Netherlands’ Exclusive Economic Zone.
During the operation, an NH90 maritime combat helicopter provided support to the Zr.Ms. Luymes crew. According to the Dutch Ministry of Defence, although the right of free passage applies within the Exclusive Economic Zone, the Netherlands escorts all Russian warships to maintain surveillance and prevent possible sabotage of underwater infrastructure. This task is carried out in coordination with the Coast Guard.
The Novorossiysk submarine, belonging to the Improved Kilo class and assigned to the Black Sea Fleet, had previously suffered a fuel leak near the Strait of Gibraltar. The incident, which occurred in September, forced the submarine to navigate on the surface under supervision from British and Dutch naval units.
Western media reported that the fuel had leaked into the bilge, creating a risk of explosion and leaving the crew without spare parts for repairs. Moscow, for its part, denied the existence of technical failures and stated that the submarine surfaced in accordance with international navigation protocols while returning from a mission in the Mediterranean.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte commented on the episode during a speech in Slovenia. “Now, in effect, there is hardly any Russian naval presence left in the Mediterranean. There’s a lone, broken Russian submarine limping back from patrol,” he said on Monday. Ironically, he added: “What a change from Tom Clancy’s 1984 novel The Hunt for Red October. Today it’s more like the hunt for the nearest mechanic.”
NATO Maritime Command stated in a post on X that the Alliance maintains “constant vigilance and maritime awareness throughout the Atlantic,” referring to the tracking carried out by French and Dutch vessels of the Novorossiysk during its transit.
Cover image obtained from the Ministry of Defence of the Netherlands.
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