German Navy Launches Major Maritime Security Exercise to Protect Baltic Infrastructure

The German Navy will begin a two-week maritime security exercise on Monday, April 13, 2026, training alongside industry and scientific partners to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. The exercise, titled "Forschungsfahrt 2024" (Research Trip 2024), is scheduled to run until April 24 and will involve approximately 250 (participants) — personnel from military, industry, and research institutions drawn from the Navy, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, and the Fraunhofer Institute. The Navy will deploy corvettes and mine-hunting units across several exercise areas, including the Bay of Mecklenburg, Eckernförde Bay, and the Fehmarn Belt. The exercise is organized under the SeaSEC initiative, which was established at the end of 2023 by the defense ministries of six Baltic and North Sea coastal states.

Nord Stream sabotage drives urgent focus on undersea protection The exercise is a direct response to the deteriorating security environment in the Baltic Sea region, most notably the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines and a pattern of damage to undersea cables. Training scenarios will simulate attacks on an undersea cable and an offshore converter platform, while the protection of a port will also be practiced in Warnemünde. The organizers have stated that a central objective is the consolidation and use of data to build a comprehensive situational awareness picture both below and above the water surface. Autonomous and semi-autonomous drone systems — both airborne and underwater — will be tested with the goal of detecting threats at an early stage. The Baltic Sea Waterways and Shipping Office has issued a notice to other mariners warning that a large number of surface and underwater vehicles, some operating autonomously, should be expected in the designated exercise areas.

The Nord Stream pipelines, which carried natural gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, were sabotaged in September 2022 in an incident that drew international attention to the vulnerability of undersea infrastructure. Following those attacks, NATO established a coordination cell for critical maritime infrastructure at its headquarters in Brussels in February 2023. A dedicated center for the same purpose was subsequently created by NATO in Northwood, near London, in May 2023. The incidents accelerated efforts among Baltic and North Sea coastal states to develop joint frameworks for monitoring and defending undersea cables, pipelines, and offshore energy platforms.

Digital Ocean Lab near Rostock serves as live test environment Part of the exercise will take place at the Digital Ocean Lab, a Baltic Sea area within sight of Nienhagen near Rostock, where new maritime technologies are tested and a yellow research platform is visible above the water. The Rostock Institute for Ocean Technologies is described by SeaSEC as significantly involved in the exercise. According to previous reports, the Digital Ocean Lab is also listed as a test field by NATO. The exercise area thus spans both open sea zones and a dedicated research environment, allowing participants to test technologies under realistic conditions while maintaining proximity to established scientific infrastructure.

Industry Day on Thursday to showcase technical test results An "Industry Day" is planned for Thursday, April 17, during which the results of the technical tests conducted during the exercise will be presented to participants and observers. Military personnel will work alongside representatives from companies such as Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and research institutions including the Fraunhofer Institute throughout the two-week period. The exercise reflects a broader trend across European defense establishments toward integrating private sector expertise and autonomous systems into maritime security frameworks. The SeaSEC initiative, now entering its third year since founding, represents one of the most structured multinational efforts to address the protection of critical undersea infrastructure in northern European waters.