The Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) and the Royal Danish Navy recently escorted a Russian submarine and its supporting tug through the North Sea and adjacent waters.
According to a press release from the Dutch Ministry of Defence (MOD), the Russian ships came from the Mediterranean Sea and were already escorted in the English Channel by a UK Royal Navy vessel. Once in Dutch waters, the RNLN hydrographic survey vessel HNLMS Luymes took over this task from the British ship.
Luymes escorted the Russian vessels, identified as the Improved Kilo II-class submarine Novorossiysk and the Goryn-class tug Yakov Grebelskiy, until they had left the Dutch exclusive economic zone (EEZ). An NH90 maritime combat helicopter provided support to Luymes during the escort.
The MOD said that although the Dutch EEZ is subject to an international right of passage, the Netherlands escorts all Russian naval vessels that pass through these waters.
"In this way, the Netherlands is showing vigilance and preventing Russian ships from sabotaging undersea infrastructure," the ministry said.
The MOD added that the escort of all Russian naval vessels is done in cooperation with the Netherlands Coastguard.
After a few days, the submarine and the tug entered the Great Belt strait, which connects the North and Baltic Seas just off Denmark, prompting the Royal Danish Navy to deploy two patrol boats to the area to provide monitoring and escort.
Although Russian social media reported that the submarine had experienced technical issues prior to the transit, the Russian Navy has assured that no serious problems were encountered.
