Security: Mysterious events off Gdansk

A robber post could hardly read better - but you should pay attention to what happened outside Gdansk.

Bad luck at midnight

Late in the middle of the night in mid-January, three divers were rescued from distress by the Polish coastguard and SAR services about three miles north of Gdansk when their small, red, very well motorised leisure boat broke down and drifted off in adverse weather conditions. They claimed to be Spanish amberjack divers and had professional diving equipment and an underwater scooter with them, but all but one of them could not identify themselves and did not have a diving licence for this sea area. None of the officials, rescuers and helpers involved thought this was the least bit Spanish - and they were allowed to go on their way without further questioning.

Equipment recovered from the mysterious divers.
Photo: Gdansk Maritime Assistance Service

All fake

And they did - they disappeared immediately. Even before identities, addresses and telephone numbers vanished into thin air. Even before the proximity to the Naftoport harbour facilities (Westerplatte) for Poland's important oil and coal deliveries by ship became clear, or the proximity to the natural gas terminal under construction. Even before local divers confirmed that it is not possible to dive for amber in the dark, nor with a scooter, because the jet stream stirs up the seabed and "chases away" the light and shy amber. Even before everyone involved suddenly got red ears!

When all the bells ring

The mysterious incident is now being investigated by Poland's central police investigation unit, which normally deals with organised crime. Possibly - but it smells of attempted sabotage or espionage when you look at the overall picture. After all, the port of Gdansk, one of the absolute hubs for Poland's energy supply, is only around 20 nautical miles from the Russian border with the enclave of Kaliningrad/Königsberg and around 30 miles from Pillau! So what about the protection of Poland's maritime energy infrastructure? Or do we not have to ask ourselves the same question - here, in our immediate neighbourhood?

Source: CBS News