On Thursday, the government announced that it was severely restricting which ports Russian fishing vessels could visit. The government will also tighten supervision of incoming fishing vessels.

But there are still many security holes that need to be closed along the coast, according to researcher Ståle Ulriksen at the FHS Naval Academy.

– The coast of Norway is very vulnerable. The main problem is the many ships we can’t control sailing along our shores, he said.

According to researchers, there are 253 Russian sea captains who speak Norwegian pilot certificate. Altogether they have about 700 pieces of evidence.

This meant that they could sail in large ships along the Norwegian coast without the presence of a Norwegian pilot on board. The pilot is the navigator who guides the ship through Norwegian waters and is declared safe.

In practice, this also meant that large ships could sail along the coast without the Norwegians knowing who was on board.

– We know who the skipper is, because he has to identify himself when he gets his pilot certificate, but we have no idea about the others. The sea captain had to submit a crew list, but we didn’t have a chance to look into it, Ulriksen said.

– With the pilot, it will be easier to detect deviations from the norm, he continued.

Troubled

Those with pilot certificates can also mostly dock at all Norwegian ports.

The fact that Russian sea captains have pilot certificates has been a problem since 2015, when it became known that a Russian captain was pushed to obtain a pilot certificate by Russian authorities.

– I think it’s because Russia needs people who know the Norwegian coast, which is difficult. We fear that the Russians will operate in the same way as the Norwegian navy, for example they know where to lay mines and have detailed knowledge of fuel facilities, the researcher said.

Ulriksen called for action and believed that the pilotage certificate should be confiscated. In addition, there should be an exclusion zone near land-based oil and gas facilities and other critical infrastructure, such as a fighter jet base in Ireland.

“We’ve become a crazy open society, which means that if someone wants to take us, they have a lot of ways to take us,” he said.

Mehl: – Limited quantity

Dagbladet has asked Justice and Emergency Services Minister Emilie Enger Mehl whether it is appropriate to revoke the pilotage certificate, or reduce the chances of having this certificate.

– We continue to assess the need for stronger action. When it comes to this precise piloting scheme, it applies to a limited number of vessels, as there are also smaller vessels that are not required to pilot in Norwegian waters, he replied.

– Therefore, we have judged that it has a limited effect, but it is part of what we are constantly seeing.

– Real attention

More resources

He said there would be more resources at the three Norwegian ports now able to receive Russian fishing vessels than there were last week.

– The Ministry of Finance has asked the customs office to have very specific measures regarding the three ports, and the goal is that all incoming ships covered by the exemption must be inspected, Mehl said.

– The police will cooperate with the customs authorities, and they will increase their presence and activities in the three ports. This is also part of the reason the tightening is important – because it allows control measures to be sharpened, he said.