German navy frigate sabotage sparks fears of foreign threat
On the German frigate Hessen, an attempt was made to contaminate the drinking water system. This marks the third potential sabotage incident on a German warship in just a few weeks. Is Russia the culprit? wonders the German daily "Sueddeutsche Zeitung".
The frigate Hessen is one of the flagship vessels and a source of pride for the German navy. The vessel, measuring 143 metres in length, was built in Emden between 2001 and 2005 and officially handed over to the navy in Wilhelmshaven on 21st April, 2006, recalls "Sueddeutsche Zeitung".
Hessen, with a crew of 240, participated in the military mission "Aspides" off the coast of Yemen last year. For two months, the frigate was tasked with protecting merchant shipping in the Red Sea from ongoing Houthi militia attacks. It performed this task excellently, at least according to the Ministry of Defence's assessment, reports "SG".
However, Hessen itself has apparently now become the target of an attack—not by Houthi drones on the open sea, but likely by saboteurs. This occurred in its home port, the naval base Heppenser Groden in Wilhelmshaven, reported the newspaper.
Dozens of litres of waste oil found in the drinking water tanks
According to a journalistic investigation by "Sueddeutsche Zeitung", NDR, and WDR, the sabotage on the frigate presumably took place on Thursday—unknown perpetrators contaminated the drinking water system with dozens of litres of waste oil.
The task of filling the freshwater tanks was entrusted to an external company from Lower Saxony. Insiders rule out the possibility that the drinking water tanks were improperly filled by accident.
Fortunately, an alert crew member quickly noticed the contamination, preventing widespread pollution which would have necessitated cleaning all systems, potentially taking many weeks, writes "SZ".
The external company declined to comment on the matter. The police in Wilhelmshaven confirmed the incident: "We are investigating with the Bundeswehr concerning the incident involving a warship." The Ministry of Defence also reported that in Wilhelmshaven, where Hessen was undergoing planned maintenance, a "potential security-relevant incident" was noted. The Ministry stated that "the appropriate military and civilian investigative authorities are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident."
Just a few days ago, the inspector of the navy, Vice-Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, warned of Russian activities at sea and targeted sabotage attacks on German warships, recalls "SZ". "I can only confirm that we have seen damage, i.e., sabotage, on more than one vessel," he said.
Although there is no evidence of Russia's involvement in the incident with Hessen, "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" suggests that it may be part of a broader strategy to weaken the German navy. Previous attacks on other vessels—the corvette Emden and a mine destroyer—also raise suspicions of sabotage.
