영국, 유럽 북방 해역에서 러시아의 'Shadow Fleet'을 추적하기 위한 노력을 주도

[위종민]

영국이 중요한 해저 인프라 보호를 위해 북유럽의 해역에서 러시아의 'Shadow Fleet'을 실시간으로 추적하기 위한 노력을 주도하고 있다고 지난 월요일 영국 국방부 장관이 밝혔습니다. 

지난 크리스마스에 핀란드에서 다른 발트해 국가로 연결되는 전력 서비스와 통신 케이블이 절단된 뒤 'Nordic Warden'이라고 명명된 이 작전이 시작됐고, AI를 활용해 AIS 및 다양한 데이터를 활용해 넓은 해역을 비교적 적은 자원으로 실시간으로 감시하는 것이 목표입니다. 

UK to Lead Joint Expeditionary Force, NATO Effort to Track Russian 'Shadow Fleet' - USNI News

UK to Lead Joint Expeditionary Force, NATO Effort to Track Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’

John Grady

January 7, 2025 2:06 PM

A faint aurora and the Earth’s atmospheric glow crown this night time photograph of Northern Europe, as the International Space Station orbited 262 miles above. NASA Photo

The United Kingdom is leading a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) and NATO effort to track Russian “Shadow Fleet” vessels in Northern European waters, in real time, to protect critical undersea infrastructure, the United Kingdom’s defense minister announced Monday.

The operation began last week in the wake of the disruption of power service and communications cables from Finland to other Baltic states on Christmas Day, according to a U.K. release.

“The UK and JEF are leading the way in providing support to our allies to help safeguard the offshore infrastructure we all rely on against potential threats,” Defense Minister John Healey told the House of Commons Monday.

He said the operation – dubbed Nordic Warden – will “help protect against both deliberate acts of sabotage as well as cases of extreme negligence which we have seen cause damage to underwater cables.”

USNI News reported Finnish authorities seized the Russian oil tanker Eagle S after the country’s police opened a criminal investigation into what they considered aggravated criminal mischief. Authorities believe a dragged anchor cut the cable.

“Harnessing the power of AI, this UK-led system is a major innovation, which allows us the unprecedented ability to monitor large areas of the sea with a comparatively small number of resources, helping us stay secure at home and strong abroad,” Healey said in a government release.

The Ministry of Defense said the UK-led “reaction system” would use AI to monitor large areas of the sea and track vessels by drawing on a variety of data, including the Automatic Identification System (AIS). Ships use AIS to broadcast their position.

Specific vessels identified as part of Russia’s shadow fleet have been registered into the JEF’s system so they can be closely monitored. The term “shadow fleet” refers to aging tankers and merchantmen – often without insurance and under various flags such as the Cook Islands – carrying oil and bulk cargo from Russia, which has been put under sanction since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Any identified risks will be flagged, with immediate alerts sent to JEF members and NATO allies to ensure coordinated responses.

In early 2023, NATO announced the creation of a Critical Undersea Infrastructure Coordination Cell at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, of which the JEF is an outgrowth. The force is a coalition of 10 Northern European nations to provide security in land, air and maritime domains. Members include Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK.

Twenty-two areas of interest – including parts of the English Channel, North Sea, Kattegat and Baltic Sea – are being monitored from the JEF’s operational headquarters in Northwood, northwest of London, where personnel from all JEF nations work side by side.

A joint force news release said Nordic Warden was first tested last summer and again during the JEF’s Exercise Joint Protector. During that exercise, 300 personnel from Northwood went to Latvia to test the JEF’s ability to deploy from the UK on short notice.

The UK has led international efforts through a global alliance to disrupt the shadow fleet, Healey said. The UK has sanctioned 93 oil tankers that Russia has used to soften the blow of sanctions to pay for the war in Ukraine. Monday’s announcement complements last month’s agreement among the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Finland and Estonia to request proof of insurance from suspected shadow vessels as they pass along the Baltic route.

The Christmas Day incidents in Finnish waters followed the breaching of cables from Sweden to other Northern European countries in November. For a month, the Chinese bulk carrier Yi Ping 3 sat motionless in international waters. It was suspected of causing the breaks that occurred over two days.

Denmark worked with the Chinese government to allow an inspection of the vessel. No results of the on board investigation have been released.

The ship was allowed to proceed to Port Said, Egypt.

[Minowski(김유철)]

범죄예방에 쓰이는 AI 프로그램 등을 활용해서 예측은 할 수 있겠는데 결국 순찰차와 경찰력에 해당하는 해군 수상함과 해경함이 부족하면 눈뜨고 코베이는 상항이 연출될 것 같네요.

[위종민]

당분간은 직접 조처를 하기보다는 상선이나 위장선박이 케이블이나 가스관을 몰래 부수는 경우에 바로 특정 국가의 어떤 선박인지를 밝혀서 여론전에 써먹겠다는 목적일 것 같기도 합니다.

AIS 데이터와 각종 감시센서, UAV, 유인 정찰기 등의 수단을 통합하고 AI를 이용해 처리하면 연안의 수많은 배들을 실시간으로 추적하고 태깅이 가능한 시대네요..