Several Dutch military ships were observed in Danish waters on Wednesday morning, sparking curiosity among both civilian and military observers. A picture taken from the Great Belt Bridge shortly before 8 o’clock shows three of the ships, while the ship monitoring site Vesselfinder reveals that a flotilla of five ships is sailing together in the Baltic Sea.
The Dutch naval vessels were located on their way south of Zealand at 9 o’clock. 365nyt.dk has been in contact with the Danish defense, which has not been able to immediately provide information on what the ships are doing in Danish waters. However, the defense has informed that a large naval exercise named BALTOPS was held in June, with ships from several nations participating. According to the plan, these ships should now be on their way out of the Baltic Sea.
At the Danish Defence Academy, it is assessed that it could be a training exercise. Military analyst Jens Krogsgård Møller, who teaches maritime operations, stated: “We have a standing NATO force that sails around and trains, ready to go. It could easily be them.” He added that the BALTOPS exercise has just been held, and this type of exercise often involves coastal navigation, which is very useful to practice in Danish waters due to the challenging navigation conditions.
Therefore, it could very well be part of a larger NATO exercise or an extension of BALTOPS, bringing the Dutch ships to Danish waters. Regardless of the purpose, the Danish maritime complexity and challenges provide good training conditions for the participating units.