A 54-year-old Greek and a 37-year-old Romanian have been arrested for serious acts of sabotage against German Navy warships, as announced by German authorities. The two men are alleged to have played an active role in interventions that could have endangered the operation of military vessels. According to the indictment, the arrested individuals worked at a Hamburg shipyard and are accused of sabotaging ships destined for the German Navy, causing extensive damage to critical systems. As reported by Bild newspaper, more than 20 kilograms of gravel were placed in the engine of the corvette “Emden,” while damage was recorded to fresh water supply pipes.
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Additionally, fuel tank caps were removed and safety switches of electronic systems were deactivated. The incident was discovered just before the ship’s first scheduled departure in mid-January 2025, bound for Kiel. The arrests were carried out both in Hamburg and in a village near Komotini, following a coordinated operation by Hamburg authorities in cooperation with the General Prosecutor’s Office. Simultaneously, searches were conducted at suspects’ residences in Hamburg, Romania, and Greece. The coordination of cross-border actions was undertaken by Eurojust, based in The Hague.
German authorities speak of a national security issue
The Prosecutor’s Office emphasizes that the acts could have caused serious damage or delays, affecting Germany’s national security and the operational readiness of the armed forces. Meanwhile, the possibility of the existence of masterminds is being examined, while analysis of the evidence is ongoing. The General Prosecutor’s Office stresses that “until the completion of the criminal procedure, the principle of innocence applies.”
The corvette “Emden,” which was launched in early May 2024 at the Blohm + Voss shipyard, completed its first long test voyage in mid-January 2025. It belongs to five new Class 130 corvettes ordered in 2017, as part of a defense program worth a total of 2 billion euros.
