The Dutch Navy escorted the Russian submarine Novorossiysk through the Dutch part of the North Sea while the submarine transited the area, the Defense Ministry said.
The escort included the hydrographic ship Zr.Ms. Luymes, which normally maps the seabed, the ministry said. A combat helicopter and the Coast Guard assisted.
The Novorossiysk was cruising on the surface because the boat has a fuel leak and needs to reach a port for repairs, the ministry said.
The ministry said the submarine had been operating in the Mediterranean but must pass through the Baltic Sea because Russia can no longer use ports in the Black Sea and near Syria.
Earlier the French, Belgian and British navies monitored the submarine before the Dutch Navy took over in the Dutch part of the North Sea, the ministry said.
“The Netherlands thus shows vigilance,” writes the Defense Ministry. The ministry said it escorts all Russian naval vessels, also to “prevent Russian ships from sabotaging submarine infrastructure.”
