Ben Wallace, the government will purchase two specialised ships to guard pipes and cables that are submerged in the ocean.
In remarks to the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, the defence secretary referred to the “mysterious damage inflicted” last week following leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
There have been suggestions that Russia could have been behind the alleged sabotage of the pipes, including Nord Stream 1 which was already shut but had previously pumped gas from Russia to Europe. Nord Stream 2 had not started operations.
Mr Wallace said the pipeline incident “should remind us of how fragile our economy and infrastructure is to such hybrid attacks”.
“Our intent is to protect them. Our internet and energy are highly reliant on pipelines and cables. Russia makes no secret of its ability to target such infrastructure.”
He went on: “So for that reason, I can announce we recently committed to two specialist ships with the capability to keep our cables and pipelines safe.
“The first multi-role survey ship for seabed warfare will be purchased by the end of this year, fitted out here in the UK, and then operational before the end of next year.
“The second ship will be built in the UK and we will plan to make sure it covers all our vulnerabilities.”