An intervention by the British Royal Navy caused the crew of the Russian ship Sinegorsk to raise anchor and leave British territorial waters, after authorities identified a suspicious positioning of the ship.
A Russian cargo ship, Sinegorsk, was forced to leave the territorial waters of the United Kingdom after it anchored in the Bristol Channel, near the transatlantic data cables.
The incident took place on Tuesday evening, when the ship stopped about two miles from the town of Minehead, on the north coast of Somerset County, less than a mile from the submarine cables that connect Britain with the USA, Canada, Spain, and Portugal.
After the British authorities rejected the Russian crew’s justification, which claimed they were carrying out “essential safety repairs”, a Wildcat helicopter of the Royal Navy was sent on Wednesday, January 28, from the naval air base in Yeovilton and, following this intervention, the ship’s crew raised the anchor and left British territorial waters.
“The movements of this Russian ship are deeply suspicious. (It is a) reminder of the persistent and dangerous threats our country faces from Putin and his allies,” said Alicia Kearns, Deputy Minister of Security, quoted by Daily Telegraph.
According to MarineTraffic data, Sinegorsk began its last port call in Arkhangelsk three weeks ago – an important commercial center and the headquarters of the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet.
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