Rainer Ingebrigtsen is the main shop steward at the Kimek shipyard in Kirkenes. He says the Russian fishing vessels are the alpha and omega for the company. – About 80 per cent of our turnover comes from Russian fishing vessels, he says. Neither Ingebrigtsen nor the boss – managing director Greger Mannsverk – have ever found suspicious equipment on board the vessels that have been maintained or repaired at Kimek. The shipyard inspects the customers’ vessels carefully. – We have a reasonably good idea of what is on board and have never found anything to indicate that they are engaged in intelligence. – It is impossible for us to know whether there are intelligence officers on board the vessels today, but not a single fisherman comes to a Norwegian port without the police and the Norwegian Armed Forces getting a full overview of who is on board. They can probably easily pick out those who deal with intelligence, says Greger Mannsverk, CEO of Kimek. Photo: Karen Gjetrang / news Most calls by Russian fishing vessels news has demonstrated that as many as 50 civilian Russian vessels may have conducted intelligence against Norway. Today, Russian fishing vessels can call at three Norwegian ports; Kirkenes, Båtsfjord and Tromsø. Kirkenes has had by far the most calls by Russian fishing vessels since Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine just over a year ago. Kimek was established in 1986 to replace the jobs that disappeared when operations at the mining company Sydvaranger were scaled down. The purpose of the company was to repair and maintain Soviet vessels, both fishing vessels and other civilian ships. – The first boats we received for repair had machine gun nests on deck. They were Soviet vessels. This does not happen today, says Mannsverk. He adds that it was KGB officers who at the time decided everything that happened on board. Mayoral candidate for the Labor Party in Sør-Varanger, Guro Brandshaug. Photo: Kristina Kalinina / news Believes the authorities have control The Labor Party’s mayoral candidate, Guro Brandshaug, says the Norwegian authorities have been aware of the intelligence operations carried out by Russian vessels. She is not surprised. – It is good that news has documented this and that the public is becoming aware of it. She is certain that the Norwegian authorities have been aware of this and have taken the necessary precautions and carried out the necessary measures to control the situation. The Conservative mayoral candidate, Magnus Mæland, is also not surprised by what news has documented. – It is a stronger confirmation that the physical border with Russia here in Sør-Varanger is freezing cold and that the Russian regime does not want us well – and that the country uses all means to achieve its wishes. The Conservative mayoral candidate, Magnus Mæland. Photo: Kristina Kalinina / news – Take those who break the law The police chief in Finnmark, Ellen Katrine Hætta, says news’s publications in recent days give a good picture of the intelligence that is operated by civilian Russian vessels. It is the EU’s sanctions rules that limit Russian vessels’ access to Norwegian ports, but Norway has made exceptions for three fishing ports. The police and customs must check all Russian fishing vessels that call in Norway, and there is a clear division of tasks between the agencies. Customs examines goods and other materials on board. The police will carry out personal checks and check lists of crews. – We will check that the crews on the lists are actually on board – and vice versa, she concludes. Greger Mannsverk at Kimek says the Norwegian authorities must expel vessels that conduct illegal intelligence in Norwegian waters. – We must not cut everyone across the board. We have an ugly tendency to do that these days. Take those who break the law. Expel them. It will be aggravating for everyone else, he says.
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Will throw out vessels that conduct illegal intelligence – news Troms and Finnmark
