news has spoken to several Norwegian pilots who say they refuse to be examiners for Russian navigators who are to take driving tests. 265 Russians are currently licensed to sail freely along the Norwegian coast. And the pilots think it is an insurance risk that they have a certificate to sail the Norwegian coast without a pilot on board. Also called a license certificate. – There is a lot of infrastructure and coast that they can survey thoroughly. I don’t think it’s right that they can. Someone has to take responsibility when the authorities do not do it. Based on my own conscience, I say no. That’s what one of the presenters news has spoken to says. Losane wishes to remain anonymous because it is a failure of service to say no to being an examiner. Last week, news wrote about state leader and parliamentary representative Dagfinn Olsen (Frp) and researcher Ståle Ulriksen, who believe that Norway has been naive to have given 265 Russians death certificates. Do they fully support – It is clear that they do not want to do it. But they have to, because this is a politically made decision and then a civil servant cannot sit down and refuse. It has consequences. That’s what the recently retired state prosecutor, Inge Lockert, says. Lockert has worked as a pilot in Lødingen in Nordland for 23 years and understands that the former colleagues do not want to be inspectors. – I fully support them, says Lockert. Statslos Inge Lockert has herself been an examiner for navigators on the road test. Photo: Olaug Bjørneset / news He says the pilots are required to be censors once they have signed up for it. They cannot withdraw when they see who they will be the examiner for. – It is under the obligation to work, and they cannot refuse it. And they have been informed of this by the employer. He is clear that with the current security situation it is not wise to let Russians sail in Norwegian waters without a Norwegian public official on board. – It’s not a good idea to let them into our spring rocks and give them the opportunity to map the coast. news is not aware of specific incidents where Russian seafarers with a license have done something illegal. Los Inge Ottar Sætrevik tells of a Russian coxswain who was supposed to report home if they saw a Norwegian intelligence ship. Important for Russians to know the coast In the past year, news together with the Nordic public broadcasters have used open traffic data to map Russian ship traffic. AIS tracking of 50 Russian vessels shows, among other things, that the ship suddenly appears where there has been a NATO exercise. They are seeking an emergency port in an area where Norway and allied countries train with their submarines. They were also nearby when important fiber cables were cut outside Vesterålen or damaged outside Svalbard last year. The map shows the AIS tracking of several Russian vessels. Photo: OpenMapTiles / Data from the Coastal Administration Researcher Åse Gilje Østensen believes that the development of the Russian Northern Fleet, with more smaller vessels and fewer large ships, makes it more important for the Russians to know the coast. – We think the Norwegian coast can be useful to familiarize yourself with, because they will probably have to operate closer to it if there is a war to the west against Great Britain and the USA. She is a regular associate professor at the Norwegian Naval Academy. – A main goal for Russia may be to prevent Norway from receiving reinforcements if there is a military confrontation, and Norway should need military reinforcements from NATO. Then ports and infrastructure around ports are a vulnerability that will be worth noting, says Østensen. Åse Gilje Østensen is a researcher at the Naval Academy. Photo: Erlend Koppergård / news I understand Pilot director of the Norwegian Coastal Administration Erik Freberg Blom says it is not a big problem that pilots should have refused to be examiners. – We have no information that this is a problem, but know that some pilots have expressed that they do not wish to be censors. He says that employees of the Coastal Agency, including the pilots, are informed that they, as public servants, must take care of the sanctions adopted by the government. The driving license scheme is not affected by the sanctions against Russians that have been introduced so far. – We understand that some pilots may find themselves in situations they find uncomfortable when meeting certain Russian captains, says the director of pilots and adds: – At the same time, the Norwegian Coastal Administration has a responsibility to take care of our societal mission of ensuring safe traffic at sea , under this to operate the danger certificate scheme, says the pilot director. Assessing measures Fisheries and oceans minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap) says that the government assesses at any time the need for measures in light of the threat picture. – We take a very serious view of all maritime activity that could threaten national security. For example, civilian Russian vessels are used in intelligence operations in Norwegian waters, says Skjæran. Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap) says the governing authorities have a number of tools to ensure control and supervision in Norwegian waters. Photo: John Inge Johansen / news The intelligence and security services monitor the activity of vessels along the Norwegian coast to uncover and prevent security-threatening activity, says Skjæran. At the same time, the government is continuously considering measures to reduce risks that could threaten Norwegian interests, according to the minister. – But I cannot go into more detail about what specific measures are being considered at what time. But a measure such as taking Russian citizens’ proof of residence is intrusive. This is according to Arve Dimmen, director of navigation technology and maritime services at the Norwegian Coastal Administration. – If such a measure is to be assessed, one must look at what effect one wishes to achieve. And how accurate this is. In such an assessment, it is important to be aware of what the accident certificate scheme is and is not, says Dimmen. Not for supervision Both Skjæran and Dimmen say that the pilotage obligation and the pilotage certificate scheme are not there to ensure control and supervision of foreign vessels. The regulations are mainly intended to help prevent accidents in Norwegian waters. – The consequence of suspending the pilot’s license for Russian navigators is not that the vessels or navigators are prevented from accessing the coast, but that they have to use a pilot, says Dimmen and adds: – And a vessel that uses a pilot has the same access to the coast as a vessel with driving license. Fair enough with a government official on board. He says that through the driving license scheme they also have control over the traffic of the navigators. At the same time, a large part of the ship traffic along the coast is vessels under 70 metres. And for them the duty to pay does not apply. Arve Dimmen in the Coastal Administration says the duty to pilot does not exist for supervision of foreign vessels. Photo: Kystverket – The road license scheme is, in other words, only part of the picture. It would be natural to also take into account arrangements whose purpose is precisely to regulate foreign vessels’ access to Norwegian waters. And that will include smaller vessels.
ttn-69
Loser refuses to be an examiner for navigators from Russia who want to take a pilot’s certificate – news Nordland
