Scotland has ‘glaring weaknesses’ in maritime defences, warns Swinney
The First Minister criticised the UK government for not doing enough
Scotland has “glaring weaknesses” in its maritime defences, John Swinney has warned, as he criticised the UK government for not doing enough to protect its waters.
The First Minister said the UK had “chosen not to base a single offshore patrol vessel, frigate or destroyer in Scotland”.
It came as he argued lessons should be learned following the row over a Russian-flagged tanker seized by the US and escorted to Scotland's Moray coast.
Mr Swinney said Scottish authorities were given no advance notice of its arrival.
“We need proper lines of communication from the UK government, and acceptance of the principle of advanced notification of significant military operations which impact on our devolved responsibilities and the use of Scottish infrastructure,” he told MSPs.
“The events of the last fortnight demonstrate Scotland is not isolated from international events.”
The Marinera, a Russian-flagged vessel previously known as Bella 1, has been in UK waters in the Moray Firth in recent weeks after being seized as it travelled through the waters between Iceland and Scotland.
The captain, Georgian national Avtandil Kalandadze, and its first officer were taken onboard the US coastguard vessel Munro on Tuesday. The US Embassy in London said they would now be "brought to the United States to face prosecution".
The remining 26 crew members have left the ship and been processed at the Army reserve centre in Inverness. The group were staying at a hotel in Elgin, Moray, on Monday night, before travelling to destinations of their choice.
Mr Swinney said the Scottish government supported the interception of the tanker, and the involvement of the UK. However, he raised concerns about the lack of communication before the vessel appeared in Scottish waters.
“The arrival of Bella 1 in the Moray Firth was an issue of direct relevance to Scotland and to the Scottish government, yet the UK government still did not give us advanced notification,” he said.
The First Minister also said his government was not informed of the removal of the two crew members from the Marinera until after the US had done so.
On Monday, the Court of Session in Edinburgh imposed an order banning the UK and Scottish authorities from removing the crew from Scottish jurisdiction, at the request of the captain’s wife Natia Dzadzamia.
The US Department of Justice told Scottish authorities on Tuesday morning that the captain and first officer were on board the US Coast Guard vessel Munro.
Earlier, Mr Swinney hit out at UK ministers over defence. He said Scotland currently has “glaring weaknesses in our physical defence”, particularly around “the deployment of surveillance vessels which will protect us”.
Speaking to journalists in Edinburgh, the SNP leader stressed: “We have got to ensure that we have in place the capacity and capability to protect our coastline.”
Pressed on whether that means the UK government should base more vessels in Scottish waters, Mr Swinney said: “That’s the environment we’re now in, where we have to be more and more conscious of what is going on in the waters round about us.”
Where such vessels should be positioned are “operational decisions for the United Kingdom Government”, the First Minister added. “I think we need to have strong maritime defences.”
His comments came after a speech at Edinburgh University’s McEwan Hall, where he made clear the “United Kingdom is not a superpower” and is instead an “intermediate power”.
He went on to hit out UK ministers for “increasing investment in nuclear bombs” at the same time as it chose to “scrap its entire maritime patrol fleet”.
The First Minister told the audience: “The United Kingdom has chosen not to base a single offshore patrol vessel, frigate or destroyer in Scotland – requiring vessels to be dispatched from the south coast of England when the flagship of the Russian Northern Fleet arrived off Scotland.”
Mr Swinney said the current climate demands an “adequate, multi-layered naval capability in Scottish waters”.
He said this will help “protect our offshore energy assets”, while he also stressed “adequate air defences” are needed for Scotland to “deal with threats to our airports – as has happened across northern Europe – from drones”.
Making clear “an independent Scotland would not leave these gaps”, he criticised the UK for choosing to “prioritise” nuclear weapons, saying these offer no protection to the “actual day to day threats” the country faces.
Mr Swinney said: “Politicians in Westminster may desire the power to destroy the planet, but for a Scottish Government, the priority would be the adequate defence of our waters and our shores.”
UK Defence Secretary John Healey previously accused the SNP of jeopardising national security with its opposition to nuclear weapons.
“I want to see a Scottish government that doesn’t have a declared party policy of unilateral nuclear disarmament because in this era of rising threat, it strikes me that any government, any leader that calls into question or jeopardises our deterrent is jeopardising or calling into question the strength of our national security,” he said last week.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay criticised Mr Swinney for “cosplaying as a global statesman”.
He said: “The First Minister grandstands on issues for which he has zero responsibility to deflect attention from his SNP’s government’s pitiful record of failure.
“Hard-pressed Scots rightly expect him and the Edinburgh parliament to focus on the day job of bringing down their bills, cutting NHS waiting times and fixing Scotland’s roads.
“John Swinney knows perfectly well that international affairs are reserved to Westminster. It’s bizarre and ill-judged that he’s seeking to stand up for the skipper of a sanction-breaking Russian ghost ship.”
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