With seven concrete recommendations, industry organisation Danish Shipping has issued a call for the many capabilities that already exist in civilian shipping to be integrated into Denmark’s total defence.
The organisation has cited military pressure, hybrid attacks, sabotage of subsea cables, "shadow fleet" vessels in Danish waters, cyber threats and pressure on global supply chains as factors faced by Denmark and all of Europe following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"For this reason, a formalised and concrete public–private partnership on Denmark’s total defence should be the ambition," according to the organisation.
“Our fundamental stability and security are under pressure, and therefore we must give higher priority to Denmark’s total defence and strengthen cooperation between public and private actors in this field," said Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping.
"In addition to the absolutely necessary investments in the Armed Forces – which the government, together with a broad majority in Parliament, has wisely initiated – there is also an important dimension in cooperating with private sectors such as shipping to make use of Danish capabilities that already exist."
Seventy-eight per cent of Denmark’s supplies arrive by ship, according to Danish Shipping. Much of the country's energy comes via cables and pipelines located on or beneath the seabed, as do communication and data lines, while the Danish-flagged civilian fleet is the third largest in NATO.
"In short, Denmark’s prosperity, security and societal resilience are inextricably linked to the sea," the organisation said.
"We have capabilities, experience, vessels, know-how and people that Denmark does not yet systematically utilise within the total defence," Steffensen added. "Above all, we have the will and the desire to contribute to Denmark’s security."
Danish Shipping is now launching a number of concrete recommendations to the Government. These include a call to establish a national maritime defence forum, as already exists in Norway, Sweden and Finland, and to incorporate the capacities of the merchant fleet and ferries into NATO, EU and national planning.
The organisation said, however, that so far, dialogue with the government has not resulted in concrete agreements or preparedness plans.
"We have a great deal to offer – capabilities that either do not exist in sufficient volume in the public sector, or which take time to establish," said Steffensen. "This is an offer to add a very substantial amount of capacity, not least to the civilian emergency response."
Danish Shipping said it is working to bring together relevant authorities, shipping companies, and stakeholders for further discussions of the recommendations.
Danish Shipping's recommendations regarding the integration of shipping into total defence can be read here (in Danish).