Drone Sightings Near North Sea Drilling Platforms
Reports of suspicious drone activity in the vicinity of offshore drilling platforms in the North Sea have been communicated to the security services for further investigation.
Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), the industry body representing the sector, confirmed that there have been "drone sightings in proximity to offshore energy structures."
The organisation described these incidents as "concerning" but emphasized that they "did not threaten the safety of the offshore installations."
"Fortunately, these events remain very rare, however we remain vigilant and prepared to respond to any eventuality,"said Graham Skinner, health and safety manager for offshore infrastructure at OEUK.
"OEUK welcomes proposals for a 'reporting portal for suspicious activity' but recognises that it could take some time to develop,"Skinner added.
In the meantime, OEUK has collaborated with the police and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to produce guidance for offshore installations. This guidance outlines what to observe, the information to collect, and the appropriate contacts for reporting such events.
"Our platforms are 100, 150 miles out in the middle of the sea, so you don't typically have many neighbours - you don't have people coming and visiting unless they are there for a very good reason,"Skinner explained.
"When the crews spot lights in the sky, or things moving around, suspicious activity in general - it's very obvious that it's out of place.
It may well be that they want to expose weaknesses or test our responses, they may even just be filming to see what is going on."
Expert Analysis on Drone Activity
Dan Marks, a research fellow specialising in energy security at the Royal United Services Institute, commented on the nature of these drone sightings. He noted that reports indicate drones appearing from unknown locations, approaching platforms, and then disappearing.
"Part of the challenge is that we really don't know how often this is happening,"Marks said.
He further explained that the North Sea is not currently experiencing sabotage similar to that seen in the Baltic Sea, where pipelines and cables have been targeted. Instead, the drones and ships observed in the North Sea are more likely engaged in information gathering activities.
"At the moment it concerns more about reconnaissance-shaping activities, ships that are – fairly clearly or otherwise – mapping out critical infrastructure, subsea infrastructure and may pose a risk.
You don't know what they've been doing, you don't know what they've put out into the water."
Marks highlighted that the ongoing war in Ukraine has underscored the vulnerability of energy infrastructure. He also pointed out that drones are now produced on a massive scale, making them relatively inexpensive and increasing the potential for attacks by non-state actors on a wider array of targets.
The UK and NATO have expressed concerns that surveillance of Western undersea cables and pipelines is intended to provide Moscow with a strategic advantage in modern warfare, should hostilities escalate.
Earlier in the month, the UK government reported that three Russian submarines conducted a covert operation over cables and pipelines in waters north of the UK, an allegation Russia has denied.
