Nautical Cat And Mouse

At first, the distress call seemed routine. The Soviet oceanographic vessel Zarya asked permission to enter Norwegian waters, claiming engine problems. Later the captain added the information that the ship's hull was leaking. But when a Norwegian naval officer and an engine expert clambered on board, they found no signs of water or of mechanical trouble. Instead, they glimpsed an enormous amount of sophisticated electronic gear. Local authorities ordered the boat out of Norwegian territory. Once in international waters, the Zarya turned on a miraculous burst of speed.

So it goes in the chilly waters off Norway these days, where a fleet of ostensibly civilian Soviet ships has been poking about where it has no apparent business. In the past five weeks, at least ten Russian craft have played nautical cat and mouse with the Norwegians. Says Norway's chief of defense staff, General Sverre Hamre: "We seem to be subject to something like old-fashioned gunboat diplomacy."

Soviet forces frequently impinge on Norway, which constitutes the northern flank of NATO and is a key Western listening post for monitoring Russian military intentions. About three times a month, Soviet reconnaissance planes take aim at Norway's Finnmark province, which abuts Russia's Kola Peninsula with its strategic naval bases and 900,000-member complement of Communist ground and air forces. The spy planes turn back only when challenged by NATO interceptors. At least twice a year, large-scale Soviet naval exercises are held off the Norwegian coast. Soviet submarines, based at Murmansk, glide into Norway's deep fjords. All but one of the latest incursions have been confined to Norway's northern shores. The Norwegian government has twice protested to Soviet Ambassador Yuri Kirichenko--without results.

The nautical trespassing began on June 27, when a Soviet tugboat and three smaller vessels anchored off the Nordkyn Peninsula in the Barents Sea. The Soviet captains claimed to be seeking shelter from bad weather. The often stormy northern seas were calm at the time. The boats left after a Norwegian gunboat was dispatched to escort them out of the area.

Two weeks later, the Soviet timber freighter Kliloi hove to, also near the Nordkyn Peninsula. It beat a retreat when another gunboat approached. The same day, the tanker Kochetov steamed into Vardo harbor, claiming there was an injured man aboard. So there was--but, strangely, it would have been easier for the craft to return to Murmansk.

Soviet ships that have not brazened their way into port have usually fled at the appearance of Norwegian vessels, sometimes taking advantage of the thick fogs along the Arctic coast. Two weeks ago, however, the freighter Irtishles was apprehended near Vardo, and ordered into port. The ship's captain claimed engine failure and said that prevailing currents and winds had forced him into Norwegian waters. Unfortunately for the captain, both current and wind were going the other way. The Norwegians fined him $3,700.

What are the Soviets up to? Anders Sjaastad of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs believes that "the incidents are linked to the Soviets' antisubmarine efforts." The Russians maintain a line of undersea sonar devices across the Arctic waters that separate Norway from Spitsbergen Island. NATO also has an underwater sensing line that extends westward from Vardo toward Greenland. One supposition is that the ships are somehow involved in a project to upgrade the Soviet antisubmarine spy system. Another is that they would like to tamper with--possibly eavesdrop on--NATO signals.

The U.S. is also mystified by the incursions, but less alarmed than its Northern European allies. "It's definitely odd behavior," remarked a State Department official. "But if the Soviets were intent on flexing their muscles, they might send in navy vessels instead of lumber and fishing boats." Whatever the Russian motivation for straying into foreign territory, NATO vessels last week took part in Norwegian exercises that steered clear of the zone frequented by Soviet intruders.

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