The Wall Street Journal interviewed Risk Intelligence CEO Hans Tino Hansen on the threats and security risk for critical energy infrastructure, alongside the lack of attention to those since the end of the Cold War.

25 November 2022

As the September attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines highlighted the vulnerabilities of Europe’s infrastructure to physical attacks, journalists Margherita Stancati, Kim Mackrael and Georgi Kantchev wrote an article in The Wall Street Journal on the “wake-up call” received by EU’s security forces. The article starts by presenting a recent incident when the Italian navy mine hunter ITS Numana detected a metal object close to a pipeline carrying natural gas from North Africa to Europe. In order to be precautious, the vessel lowered an unmanned vehicle underwater to investigate the metal object and established that it was a rusty table.

Further in the article, Risk Intelligence’s CEO Hans Tino Hansen was asked for his opinion on the threats and security risk for critical energy infrastructure. He said that “Europe’s armed forces don’t have the resources needed to fully protect the energy infrastructure“. Moreover, he added “If you operated in the North Sea or in the Baltic after the Cold War, you gave security risk assessments very little consideration“ while also mentioning that “There were lots of assessments on the impact of energy projects on the environment, on birds or water flows, but very little on security.“

Additionally, Hansen emphasized on the need for extra “manpower and more equipment, such as sensors installed on pipelines” that are “needed to prevent future acts of sabotage .“ On the same note, the article underlined the extra measures taken by different European countries so as to secure the pipelines, while also highlighting the importance of the North Sea for European security and the increase maritime presence of NATO forces.

Read the full article here.

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The recent attacks on the Nordstream pipelines and the unauthorised use of drones near offshore installations have increased attention on hybrid operations against critical maritime infrastructure.

The war and the deteriorating relationship between Russia and the West have escalated these activities and highlighted the vulnerabilities of critical maritime infrastructure. Get insights into the various types of hybrid threats with examples from current conflicts in different parts of the World. Request access to our recent webinar “Hybrid threats to critical maritime infrastructure”.