In early February 2026, German law enforcement agencies in Hamburg, together with their European partners, carried out a series of arrests on suspicion of sabotage of German military ships. This incident revealed not only the vulnerability of the modern defence industry, but also profound socio-political issues: who has access to key defence facilities, what control mechanisms exist in a globalised labour market, and what are the risks to national security in a tense international environment.
The events begin in January 2025, when an attempted sabotage was reported at the Blohm+Voss shipyard in the port of Hamburg on two new K130 Emden-class corvettes being built for the German Navy. During routine inspections, more than 20 kg of abrasive material (described as gravel, sand, steel granules) was found in the engine of one of the ships, which could have caused serious damage to the mechanisms. Damage to fresh water pipes, removal of fuel tank covers and disconnection of protective fuses on the ships’ electronics were also recorded. These violations were identified during routine pre-voyage checks and inspections prior to sea trials or delivery of the vessel to the customer, preventing potentially catastrophic engine damage, serious operational failures or lengthy delays that could have affected the combat readiness of the German navy and national security.
The breakdowns became the subject of close attention by investigators, especially given the tensions surrounding the security of Europe’s critical infrastructure after the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. As early as October 2025, a European arrest warrant was issued on the basis of the evidence gathered, but public arrests did not take place until February 2026.
As a result of a coordinated operation led by the European law enforcement agency Eurojust, two men were detained: a 37-year-old Romanian citizen and a 54-year-old Greek citizen. The first was arrested in Hamburg, the second in Greece.
According to the German public prosecutor’s office and Eurojust, both suspects worked at shipyards, performing, among other things, contract work on painting and maintenance, and had physical access to military facilities. During searches of the Greek suspect’s homes, police seized digital data storage devices, mobile phones, USB sticks and bank documents, which may help to reconstruct the suspects’ connections with wider circles and potential motives.
Interestingly, none of the detainees had previously been on the security services’ radar for extremism or espionage, which raises the question of whether they were perpetrators of ideologically motivated acts, mercenaries, or acting on the instructions of third parties. According to official data, the investigation is continuing to examine their social contacts, business connections, and financial transactions.
According to the prosecution, the suspects may have not only poured abrasive into the engines, but also deliberately caused other damage which, if left undetected, could have led to significant damage, delays in the commissioning of ships, or even threats to human lives.
The legal classification of the actions, deliberate damage to state defence assets, is rare and serious in itself. It implies not only material damage but also a threat to national security. In Germany, a country where judicial practice in cases of sabotage against military infrastructure is extremely limited, this case sets an important precedent.
There’s a lot of debate about what’s behind this. Some experts think it’s just a few unhappy workers, while others see it as part of a bigger plan to mess with key NATO stuff through ‘hybrid warfare.’ There is no official confirmation of foreign involvement yet, but the investigation continues to analyse possible external connections and financing.
This incident highlights the problem of supply chain security and contract workers at defence facilities in the global labour market. European ports and shipyards, where migrant workers from different countries are employed, become vulnerable hubs if there are no effective mechanisms for verification, access control and continuous monitoring of workers’ behaviour.
In addition, the situation has intensified political debates about the extent to which Germany and other EU countries should strengthen national security criteria for contractors at defence facilities. Liberals emphasise that foreign workers should not be ‘labelled,’ but critics are calling for tighter controls, including increased security services and digital surveillance.
It is worth noting that the incident in Hamburg did not occur in a vacuum. Since 2022, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and sharply rising tensions between Russia and NATO countries, Europe has seen a series of incidents affecting maritime and shipbuilding infrastructure. Formally, not all of them are classified by the courts as acts of sabotage, but the totality of the facts points to a new area of vulnerability: shipyards, ports and service personnel.
In Germany, such signals began to appear long before the high-profile arrests in Hamburg. In 2024-2025, German media reported damage to equipment on military ships at shipyards on the Baltic coast. For example, cut cables were found on one of the German Navy ships, and metal particles were found in the engine transmission of another, which could have led to a serious accident during start-up. Investigative authorities considered versions ranging from negligence to deliberate actions, emphasising that the nature of the damage did not appear to be accidental.
At the same time, damage to underwater power and telecommunications cables was recorded in the Baltic Sea, which is being investigated by the authorities in Finland, Estonia and Sweden. Although these incidents did not involve shipyards as such, they heightened the alarm among European governments, as maritime infrastructure, previously perceived as a neutral and technical zone, was increasingly becoming a target for ‘hybrid’ attacks.
Against this backdrop, the Hamburg case appears to be not an isolated incident, but a qualitative shift. For the first time, suspicions of sabotage against military vessels have led to cross-border arrests coordinated at the Eurojust level. Unlike previous cases, this one does not involve damaged equipment, but specific individuals, workers with access to strategic facilities, whose motives and connections are now being investigated as part of a possible broader picture.
It is this sequence of events, from ‘inexplicable breakdowns’ to criminal cases of sabotage, that is shaping a new political context in Europe. It is forcing states to rethink their ideas about security, contractor responsibility and the limits of trust in the context of a protracted geopolitical crisis.
The Hamburg story is just beginning. The investigation will continue to yield new evidence and may expand the circle of those involved. What began as technical problems on a ship could turn into a series of high-profile revelations reflecting the era of hybrid warfare.