Britain is examining ways to strengthen underwater security around naval bases and ports as part of a broader effort to protect critical maritime infrastructure, according to new parliamentary answers from the Ministry of Defence.
In response to written questions from Conservative MP James Cartlidge, ministers confirmed that the MOD currently has no live contracts with Sonardyne or its subsidiary ECS Special Projects, despite earlier public work highlighting the potential of underwater robotics and sensing technologies to protect pipelines and subsea cables.
Defence minister Luke Pollard told Parliament that “the Department has not awarded any contracts to Sonardyne or ECS Special Projects since 5 July 2024”, and that there are “no live contracts with Sonardyne” at present.
However, the answers make clear that the MOD has previously worked with Sonardyne on maritime security capabilities, including diver detection. Pollard noted that the department has completed earlier contracts, “such as those related to Diver Tracking and Detection”, including a £67,691 agreement, active until 2024, for the procurement of a diver tracking system.
Sonardyne’s Sentinel diver detection sonar, the minister said, is “widely recognised and utilised for safeguarding naval bases and ships”, underlining its established role in underwater force protection even in the absence of current contracts.
Pollard said that as part of its future strategy and increased use of technology, the department is considering a range of measures, including “expanding port and submarine base protection” and “improving protection against hostile divers, swimmers, and underwater saboteurs”. The MOD is also exploring the use of automation and data processing to strengthen maritime defence, including “leveraging AI-enabled anomaly detection on sonar feeds” and integrating new capabilities into “the wider Maritime Protection System for UK critical infrastructure”.
So no contracts in place, non being put in place, we may think about it at some point but probably not as we have no money !
Same for just about everything else to do with Defence.
I’m just waiting for a pro active announcement that due to budget constraints they are investing in language courses for all Military Staff, Civil Servants and Politicians.
A High Ranking Officer with a CS staff of 00’s and budget of millions called “Project Ivan” on how to say “Don’t shoot I’m British” in Russian !😏
Don’t expect anything to happen soon – Labour a in turmoil with the Mandelson revelations.
It also, unhelpful, cuts the New Labour cord.
This is lurch to the left stuff.
Starmer is useless but those trying to oust him are worse.
Agreed, warned of that many times. Apparently they hold no power, I was told by Labour voters here.
Terrifying.
I thought the Royal Navy already purchased diver detection from ATLAS ELEKTRONIK UK
Interestingly they are just prosecuting the two saboteurs in Germany who essentially trashed 2 corvettes for a time.. both foreigner nationals and undoubtedly paid Russian saboteurs… our problem now is that the concept of the enemy within is a true one.. and it’s not religious nutters you can track its random petty criminals being paid to empty a bucket of bolts into an air intake.
Perhaps consider deploying submarine/torpedo netting in appropriate areas of the 3 HMNBs, before hostilities commence, and rhe CRINKs dispatch armed XLUUVs to cripple the fleet? Dunno, perhaps not sufficiently intuitively obvious? 🤔
When the Palestinian Action protestors were found not guilty of aggrevated burglary, after breaking into Elbit and breaking the back of a police officer with a sledgehammer when she was lying face down on the ground, I couldn’t believe that the jury accepted it was self-defence. They went armed with sledgehammers! I’m pleased to see they will still be prosecuted on the other charges, but to me it shows how propaganda weighs on social media, tainting the jury.
Hopefully that police officer is recovering and can walk again? From behind and while on the floor, that’s outrageous and cowardly behaviour if true. Hope there’s some justice outcome here.
The enemy within are winning atmo. The “medicine” to cure the ailment is too hard for many to swallow. And we lack politicians with balls, they are all corrupt liars feeding from a trough. I am no Trump style far right lunatic, but where the UK is headed is not a pretty place. External and internal enemies will exploit any weakness. Enough people in the world have an axe to grind with the UK to make it a truly multi faceted threat.
Still, we are a multiculti paradise with open borders, what could possibly go wrong?
has it got a nice project name,, we are good at that, bugger all else.
When you look at Portsmouth and Barrow, It’s not hard to imagine a scenario where a simple scuttled ship could cause serious Issues, Plymouth not so bad. Heck If a Russian ship can sit at anchor In the Bristol Channel all day !!!
Wonder if the authorities have “tagged ” it…LOL. Conveniently parked all bloody day! Where’s the coast guard/border patrols when you need them? Need some mini subs/SFs to check for any “irregular activities” going on under these vessels. They could all be cobblers, pretend breakdowns, pretend need for spare parts, sorry, getting cynical.
A few years back I went to Lincoln, passed Waddington and noticed six AWACs all parked in a line a few hundred yards from the road. Remember thinking that anyone with even a 308 and five minutes to spare could wipe out the UKs AWAC fleet. Security costs money, thats the excuse we keep hearing lol!
Are they only doing this now? Sub sea surveillance of port facilities at bases should already be in place, and at their front gates too.