How should recreational sailors deal with navy ships, the so-called Russian shadow fleet, or remote-controlled, unmanned “seals” in the Baltic Sea?
What changes will sailors face as a result of the increased presence of NATO and German Navy vessels in the Baltic Sea? How much distance should be kept from naval formations and how can you avoid accidentally getting caught up in a firing exercise? Rainer Tatenhorst, head of the DSV’s cruising and recreational sailing department, put these and other questions to frigate captain Martin Schwarz from the naval command in Rostock, who himself enjoys sailing H-boats on the Baltic Sea in his spare time.
In the interview with the German Sailing Association (DSV), to which this news article refers, it is pointed out that the Neustadt, Lübeck Bay and Hohwacht Bay during the 2025 season; in addition to combat exercises, mine clearance exercises will be carried out, as well as fleet maneuvers, according to the report.
DSV recommendation: For sailors, this means above all to sail attentively and keep their distance from naval vessels. “If you see warships, it is advisable to keep clear. It may be interesting to sail past and take a look, but you can’t see what they are doing or whether an exercise is in progress,” explains Captain Martin Schwarz in the interview.
The German Navy is mainly active in Neustadt Bay, “where we train crews under combat conditions. If you are sailing in this area, you may be called and asked to keep clear,” says Schwarz.
There is no danger for sailors who enter a restricted area
However, the article goes on to say that there is no immediate danger to sailors who enter one of the restricted areas. If a sailor is in a security sector where firing exercises are taking place, no shots will be fired until the yacht has left the danger zone.
However, Schwarz pointed out the special privileges of the German Navy in this context and advised always paying attention to flag signals and setting up a listening watch when in the vicinity of naval formations. Flag signals and day and night signals indicate, among other things, diving operations, mine clearance and firing exercises outside the designated restricted areas.
“Our training areas are clearly marked with restricted buoys. You shouldn’t go in there,” advised Captain Martin Schwarz in the DSV interview. Entering the Hohwacht Bay firing range while it is in operation could be “extremely expensive.”
Sailors should be particularly cautious when a group of naval vessels is approaching. When training is taking place, you should never sail between them; “if a sailing yacht does not notice us or comes too close, we first use white flares and then draw attention to ourselves via loudspeakers,” Schwarz continued. He strongly recommends listening to VHF channel 16 continuously when near naval formations.
During the interview, the frigate captain also warned of so-called “sea dogs,” unmanned, remote-controlled boats; “in the future, we will see unmanned vehicles more frequently.”
Beware of “sea dogs,” unmanned, remote-controlled boats
“There’s no one on board the 100-ton Seehund, it might be interesting to take a look, but you should keep in mind that it always wins.” The gray seal is always accompanied by a manned mother ship and carries three black balls as visual signals.
When asked in the interview about the potential danger posed by shadow fleet ships to sailors, the frigate captain replied that recreational boats would probably have difficulty identifying a ship they encounter at sea as belonging to the shadow fleet. However, anyone who sees suspicious activity should immediately inform the police, preferably by radio, cell phone, or after returning to port.
Read or listen to the full interview here.
