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This and some other recent english-language articles allege that (German Hydrography Agency) BSH is ordering offshore wind farms to install radars for "surveillance". This is however based on a Bild newspaper article, meaning basically not to be trusted unless proven otherwise. The Bild article itself does not use the German word for "order" but instead "request". They asked BSH for confirmation on the basic fact which was answered affirmative.
BSH is responsible for spatial zoning and authoritative planning at sea in German waters. They recently (end of January) issued a new development plan for offshore infrastructure for 2025 - which in its text explains that given increasing traffic patterns on searoutes in German waters and types of ships involved, as well as where this intersects with planning zones, using AIS beacons in a cooperative fashion as was previously mandated is now insufficient for monitoring traffic. The development plan is 183 pages total, this is a fairly small part.
Since this is somewhat interesting and at least in Germany the press does not cover it at all i've had a look at the new plan myself. Note:
It's publicly available for download and not classified in any way.
In section 7.9 of the zoning plan ("Communications and Surveillance") BSH requires wind park operators to install:
- Systems for bidirectional coastal radio stations (for monitoring distress calls etc) with a minimum range of 15 nm around the wind park, i.e. basically horizon range. These coastal radio installations are required to include AIS monitoring equipment and a meterological measurement suite. In addition operators have to install a cell phone network active within 2 nm of the wind park, i.e. standard range for a 4G antenna in the 2+ GHz band.
- In seven positions zoned by the plan (4 in the North Sea, 3 in the Baltic Sea) BSH requires operators to install a navigation radar suite to certain standard specifications. Two of these positions in the Baltic are platforms with a transformer station, the third monitors the relatively small German baltic EEZ. In the North Sea the positions are about 50 km apart diagonally crossing the EEZ at around 150 km or so offshore.
- Operators have to run bird collision radars on their installations (not in this section, but stated otherwise). New here: If automatic monitoring routines of bird collision radars detect drone flights by unknown actors these have to be reported to maritime safety center MSZ (i.e. the coastguard). The same goes for drone flights and "unauthorized ships" (in safety zones) spotted by on-site personnel during e.g. maintenance on installations.
Data generated in the above (Radar, AIS, meteo) has to be provided to WSV, which runs the Vessel Traffic Control Centers (... and feeds their situational picture for the coastguard). The plan outlines both required encryption and additional end-to-end VPN usage for these transfers. It also lists availability requirements, which from an IT perspective are all fairly low.
Defence-related subjects are separate from the above - in section 7.4 of the zoning plan. This section mandates:
- operators are are required to install sonar transponders for Bundeswehr usage (and to Bundeswehr-provided specs) in corner positions on their wind parks. These transponders have to be permanent, mobile systems are explicitly disallowed. From my understanding this is "publicly" about systems that will actively respond to a sonar ping primarily so that dived subs don't crash into a wind park, which has been a Navy requirement since 2011 or so and is fairly standard internationally. However under BSH regulation - found mentioned in an ad by a company producing them - such transponders do not only run standard interrogation at 8.1 kHz, but also act as general sonar beacons in a slightly lower frequency band.
- Bundeswehr vessels have full freedom of movement within offshore wind parks and their safety zones, provided effects on regular operations are "negligible or limited". Also, the Bundeswehr gets the right to mount "fixed installations", in particular communications transponders, on any offshore infrastructure, especially platforms.
Additionally it sets out rules on how intersections of offshore infrastructure with adjacent military restricted areas are to be handled (cables crossing, nearby underwater sensor usage during maintenance etc).
Separately from the above, notably mentioned:
- wind park operators have to jointly provide "sufficient" tug capacity in a specific sea position offshore in whatever concept they come up with themselves for that (laid out as an ocean tug comparable to contracted WSV tug "Nordic"). Alternatively WSV operating or chartering a tug and offshore operators paying for it would be sufficient too. Either way these tugs have to be made available to orders from WSV traffic control centers, to the Maritime Emergency Center (Coastguard), as well as - in wartime - to the German Navy.
