Denmark to spend $600 million on surveillance ship to protect against Russia

Denmark will spend about 4 billion kroner ($614 million) to build and purchase 26 naval vessels.

The ships will be used for patrolling, responding to oil spills and monitoring undersea cables, Reuters reported.

Countries bordering the Baltic Sea are on high alert after a series of accidents (or sabotage) on power cables, telecommunications lines and gas pipelines since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, including the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. Russia denies involvement in those incidents.

The NATO military alliance has beefed up its presence with frigates, aircraft and naval drones. One cause for concern is the so-called “shadow fleet” — ships that Russia uses to transport oil, weapons and grain to circumvent sanctions.

“The threats we face at sea today are different and much more serious than a few years ago. In particular, we have to respond to a threatening Russia, while technological development is happening at lightning speed,” said Danish Defense Minister Truls Lund Poulsen.

The minister said that with the agreement on the fleet development plan, Denmark is launching several urgent purchases that are “the first step towards giving the country’s maritime defense the ability to withstand a wider range of threats.”

After more than a decade of sharp cuts in defense spending, Denmark last year allocated 190 billion kroner (about $26.6 billion) to its military over a 10-year period.

The Scandinavian country is primarily seeking to protect undersea cables and pipelines for energy production and transmission, as well as to strengthen protection against potential threats to the marine environment in Danish waters from Russia’s “shadow fleet.”

In addition to the 26 ships, Denmark will also purchase drones and sonar systems that can monitor and detect unwanted underwater activity.

The government has said it intends to build many of these ships in Denmark, including in cooperation with NATO allies, but has not provided further details.

USM previously reported that North Korea is building its largest warship: Russia could provide the technology.