The Israel Navy is demanding new fast, long-endurance patrol boats to protect natural gas rigs in Israel's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It wants patrol boats with large crews, a range of weaponry, state-of-the-art search and warning systems, and helicopter landing pads, a defense source told "Globes".
The Navy will complete the staff work on plans for protecting the country's interests and strategic assets in the EEZ in a few weeks.
"To provide hermetic protection for the Tamar and Leviathan wells, we need huge amounts of money, which might raise questions whether the wells are economically viable," said the source. "Since we're talking about a dramatic economic event, and the fulfillment of energy sources on which the Israeli economy is expected to be based, we formulated a very good defense plan with a reasonable cost."
The source says that IDF estimates the cost at "a few billion shekels". He adds, "This is an amount that will enable the procurement of new ships, search and warning systems, satellites for regular surveillance, training and the allocation of forces for missions. It does not include regular operations."
A new and undefended front
The Navy looks at a marine picture full of natural gas rigs and facilities and sees a new front equal in size to the State of Israel. The front is completely undefended, cannot be fenced in, is affected by the weather, and exposed to range of worrying threats.
On the capabilities side, the Navy wants to prevent access by ships to Israel's territorial waters (which begin 22 kilometers from the shoreline), and in its EEZ (which ranges from 180 to 220 kilometers from shore). While international law permits Israeli economic activity in these waters, it minimizes the ability to restrict the free movement of shipping. The Navy only has the authority to stop suspicious vessels if they are less than half a kilometer from a protected site.
The Navy's current systems can only protect Israel's territorial waters and most of what has been declared Israel's "warning space", a strip of water a few tens of kilometers from shore. To see beyond this distance into the high seas of the EEZ, the Navy needs new radar systems.
The IDF has known for a long time that Syria and Hizbullah have an arsenal of missiles which can attack Israeli economic interests at sea. "Just now, when the Israeli economy is starting to rely on gas in the Mediterranean, and against a backdrop of numerous security threats, we need a strong Navy," said the source. "After we create the defense concept, the wells will also be able to operate during emergencies."
Time is of the essence
A few days ago, the Navy and Ministry of Defense sent proposals to other ministries ahead of their approval by the cabinet. The core proposal is to allow the Navy to operate on a regular basis on the high seas. For the IDF to legally operate in this area, the government must declare Tamar, Leviathan, Noa, and other gas fields as critical facilities requiring protection.
After the cabinet approves the proposals, the Navy and Ministry of Defense will discuss costs and financing with the Ministry of Finance. The Navy hopes that decisions on procurements and timetables will be made within two months.
"Given the tens of billions of shekels in royalties that the state will make, the cost of creating a defense infrastructure is reasonable and logical," says the source. "The infrastructures on the high seas are exposed, and time is of the essence. We must accelerate the procedures to protect them and create a reasonable response to threats in the EEZ."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 23, 2012
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