Alarm in the Bay of Kiel: Beware of warships when sailing!

Alarm in the Bay of Kiel: Beware of warships when sailing!

In the Bay of Kiel on Monday, September 1st, 2025, recreational skippers and recreational captains should be particularly careful! The occasion? The large-scale exercise “Northern Coasts”, organized by the German Navy. From now until September 12th, the bay will become a busy sea area in which around 8,400 soldiers and around 40 ships from 14 nations are active. The Navy calls on people to keep their distance from warships and to pay close attention to flag, sound and maneuver signals. Anyone who moves on the water should also have a radio ready to exchange information and identify possible dangers in good time. Traffic in the region will increase noticeably, so increased attention is required.

The “Northern Coasts” exercise originated in 2007 and has been held annually since then to strengthen security structures in the Baltic Sea. Rear Admiral Stephan Haisch, Commander of Task Force Baltic, underlines NATO's determination to defend maritime borders. Together with Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, the Inspector of the Navy, he leads the operational management of this important maneuver, which focuses on improving the cooperation and military capabilities of the Baltic Sea states.

International cooperation in focus

The participants include not only Sweden, Finland and Denmark, but also Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and partner countries such as France, Great Britain, the USA, Belgium, the Netherlands and Canada. This international participation is crucial because the exercise simulates realistic threat scenarios from all operational areas: air, land, sea and cyber. The focus is on increasing the ability to react and deploy in the event of a crisis or conflict, supplemented by modern technologies and coastal operations.

One goal of the exercise is also to certify the operational readiness of the participating states. Rear Admiral Haisch emphasizes that the practical training is intended to make an important contribution to intensifying the ability to work together in an emergency. The ships and units are now gathering in Kiel before setting sail on Monday morning to carry out the exercises directly on site.

A preview of upcoming maneuvers

The NATO exercise “Baltic Operations” (BALTOPS) is also taking place parallel to “Northern Coasts”, which will shape the Baltic Sea until mid-June 2025. Around 50 warships and 25 aircraft are in use, with around 9,000 soldiers from a total of 17 NATO states and partner countries. Here too, Rostock is the starting point for the exercises that are intended to further improve cooperation in maritime operations.

It is therefore important for citizens in the surrounding area to pay attention to possible restrictions in shipping traffic in the near future and to show particularly good navigation skills when taking trips on the water. It remains exciting to see how these two maneuvers will affect the security and cooperation of NATO countries in the Baltic Sea.