Netherlands - Police Investigate Unauthorized Drones Reported over Eemshaven
Police in Groningen are investigating reports of unidentified drones over the Eemshaven seaport and, separately, over towns in the east of the province. A port worker told RTV Noord that the first Eemshaven sightings were on October 3. Further reports came on later nights, including early-morning hours.
Groningen Seaports spokesman Tim Lambeck said flights over the port require a permit and that these aircraft were not the port's. He said police went to the scene and observed the drones themselves. The port holds an industrial harbor, energy infrastructure, data centers, and a heliport. Police said they had not established who operated the aircraft or why, and that not every report amounts to a threat.
On October 20, police said they were also looking at drone reports from Meeden, Scheemda, and Zuidbroek. Those places sit beside a high-voltage substation, the country's largest solar park, and a plant that treats imported natural gas for the Dutch grid. Investigators said they do not, for now, treat the eastern reports as connected to the Eemshaven flights.