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Dutch Navy Probes Mail-Screening Lapse After Tracker Reveals Frigate’s Position

Officials banned battery-powered cards pending a review of military post.

Overview

  • Journalists from Omroep Gelderland hid a cheap Bluetooth tracker in a postcard sent through official military mail to the Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen.
  • Because packages are scanned but letters and greeting cards are not, the device reached the ship without being flagged.
  • The tracker showed the frigate leaving Heraklion on Crete and sailing toward Cyprus for about 24 hours before crew found and disabled it.
  • The Defence Ministry said the incident created no operational risk, then banned battery-powered cards and ordered a review of mail handling.
  • The broadcaster says it coordinated with the military and withheld precise coordinates, in a case that follows a recent Strava leak tied to the carrier Charles de Gaulle.