The government delays planned ships for protection against environmental disasters: They will go to Greenland instead.

What happens if a leaking Russian oil tanker begins to spill massive amounts of oil in the Kattegat, as some fear in the current situation with a shadow fleet in Danish waters?

Not enough.

The criticism against the Ministry of Defense has been fired multiple times since 2005 (https://www.rigsrevisionen.dk/revisionssager-arkiv/2005/jan/beretning-om-helsinki-konventionens-bestemmelser-om-forurening-af-havmiljoeet ). The Danish preparedness, which should be activated in the event of a potential marine environmental disaster, is insufficient with the four ships in the 'Gunnar Thorsen' and 'Mette Miljø' classes.

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The Defense's environmental fleet

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Two large environmental ships - Gunnar Thorson and Gunnar Seidenfaden

Two smaller environmental ships - Marie Miljø and Mette Miljø

One shallow-water vessel for coastal tasks - and so a number of barges.

Source: Defense.

As DR earlier today ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/danmarks-beredskab-er-naermest-chanceloest-hvis-russisk-olie-fosser-ud-i-havet ) has stated, the environmental ships are not capable of containing a potential marine environmental disaster.

The ships are from the 1970s and 80s, outdated, outdated, and unable to clean up properly if disaster strikes. Essentially the same admission came from the Defense already in 1996, when they took over the task from the Ministry of the Environment.

And so it remains - indefinitely. For the plan to build new ships for tasks such as this has been transformed into a plan to build new Arctic ships for Greenland over the past few months.

It is clear from an internal government document that DR is in possession of.

Here the government is itself aware that the decision will be met with criticism, as it is.

- Rigsrevisionen and State Auditors have criticized the marine environmental preparedness, including criticism of the outdated environmental vessels. The government can face criticism as a result of the project being stopped if there is not simultaneously initiated another means of providing new marine environmental vessels, it sounds.

And it does not happen immediately. More on that later.

The Defense's environmental ship, Gunnar Seidenfaden, is one of Denmark's two large environmental ships. Its sister ship is called Gunnar Thorson. (Photo: © Palle Hedemann, Scanpix Denmark)

On the other hand, the government has a response to the criticism ready, according to the document.

- Patrol ships could potentially solve the marine environmental problem as early as the beginning of the 2030s when the project is completed, if one chooses to go through the two next phases. Dedicated marine environmental vessels can potentially be acquired faster, it is stated in the document from the beginning of December.

It was also Troels Lund Poulsen's starting point when he answered Rigsrevision's latest criticism ( https://www.rigsrevisionen.dk/Media/638494657583898322/404-24.pdf ) last year. Namely that the marine environmental problem should be solved before 2032, when the new ships were expected to be ready.

Therefore, he will seek the opportunity to buy or lease dedicated marine environmental vessels through a market survey.

He hoped to have a plan ready before the summer vacation last year, which he could get support for in the defense budget group – according to DR's information, nothing has come of it yet.

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300 million more for a new design

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In 2021, the defense budget group decided to start the design of a new ship type for the Danish fleet – a ship designed and built in Denmark, which could act as a patrol ship in the inner Danish waters and at the same time would be a suitable marine environmental vessel.

"Dual use", as they say about, for example, a ship that can solve more than one task for the kingdom.

So the preliminary drawings of one of Denmark's patrol ships looked out, when TV Avisen was on a visit in May 2024. (Photo: © (C) DR, (c) DR)

But it turns out that there is no need for a patrol ship for the Danish waters, according to the government document.

- Due to the changed security policy situation, including in the Baltic Sea, and the expected upcoming NATO objectives, the Defense does not require patrol ships, it sounds.

Despite this, a consortium – Danish Patrol Ships - with Pension Denmark, defense industry company Terma, and OMT – Odense Maritime Technology - has spent nearly 300 million kroner on designing exactly this type of ship since 2023.

The ship project is now part of the negotiations on a new Arctic agreement on the defense area, where the government has played out two new Arctic ships.

- Instead, new Arctic ships are required, for which it is proposed to reorient the ongoing design project for patrol ships to the start of the design of Arctic ships, it is stated in the recommendation from the Defense according to the document.

The defense budget group must nod to change the plans for the ship design. According to DR's information, the process is currently underway.

It is also clear from the government's briefing that they have set aside 300 million over the 455 million already set aside for the design phase of the new ships to turn the ship design in an Arctic direction, provided, of course, that the defense budget group follows the government's play.

Below you can see an insert about the problems with the environmental ships from TV Avisen from 2022. Here, the then defense minister, Trine Bramsen (S), mentions the new patrol ships and marine environmental ships as a solution.

It is still the Danish Patrol Ships that should be responsible for the task, because parts of the design phase for marine environmental and patrol ships can also be used for the Arctic ships.

- By using existing structures, built experience and elements from already developed solutions for patrol ships in the existing consortium, it is estimated that it can be done more quickly and more cost-effectively to bring a new design solution for Arctic ships, it is stated in the document.

In this way, the Ministry of Defense avoids "a new, time-consuming procurement process, which will delay the delivery of Arctic ships," as it is formulated in the documents.

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A concern since 1996

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The decision to acquire new marine environmental vessels, which led to the agreement to build new patrol ships with integrated marine environmental capabilities in 2021, came on the basis of many years of criticism.

The Defense's marine environmental capabilities in the event of oil and chemical accidents have been repeatedly criticized – as recently as a year ago by Rigsrevisionen and State Auditors.

- The preparedness does not have the necessary capacity and does not meet the legislation in the area. The consequence is that the ministry is not fully able to protect the sea and coasts from damage from pollution, it sounded in Rigsrevision's report from January 2024.

It was the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense to combat oil and chemical pollution in the Danish waters and near the coasts, until the new Ministry of Social Security and Preparedness was established in the summer of 2024.

The four old environmental ships form the backbone of the solution today, although it is of course also according to Rigsrevision that it is insufficient.

To the criticism from Rigsrevision, defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen replied in March 2024 that the marine environment could not wait for the new patrol ships, which are therefore dropped. Therefore, a temporary or new solution must be found.

- It is crucial that both in the short and long term measures are taken to ensure that the current marine environmental preparedness is strengthened. Therefore, the aforementioned solutions are being discussed with the defense budget group, where we will make a decision as soon as possible, it sounded at the time in a press release.

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The new minister has taken over the task that 'must be solved'

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The task of solving the marine environmental preparedness problem has since officially been transferred from Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen to Torsten Schack Pedersen's new ministry, the Ministry of Social Security and Preparedness.

And in an update from Rigsrevision from 27. November 2024, Torsten Schack has made it clear that he apparently has not come much closer to a solution on the marine environmental preparedness.

- There is a need for more time to prepare a comprehensive decision plan regarding the handling of the marine environmental preparedness, which can be discussed in the defense budget group. The minister has not specified when a decision plan is expected to be completed, so that it can be discussed in the defense budget group, it sounds from Rigsrevision.

This gave Rigsrevision another reason to criticize the Danish marine environmental preparedness.

Minister for social security and preparedness Torsten Schack Pedersen (V) took over the marine environmental preparedness task, when his ministry was established on 28. August 2024, from defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen. (Photo: © Thomas Traasdahl, Ritzau Scanpix)

On Wednesday, an agreement was reached on a new preparedness agreement, but marine environmental was not mentioned. It was Torsten Schack Pedersen who was asked about it at the end of the press conference.

What are the plans for re-establishing a marine environmental preparedness?

- It is correct that it is not part of this agreement. It is something we will address at a later time, for there is a task that must be addressed, says he.

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