A Russian cargo ship dropped anchor in the Bristol Channel near undersea data cables amid growing concerns around Russia’s shadow fleet.
The Sinegorsk cargo ship, sailing under the Russian flag, cruised into the Bristol Channel on Tuesday night and appeared to anchor about two miles off Minehead, on the north coast of Somerset, near to where vital undersea telecom cables, connecting Britain to the US, Canada, Spain and Portugal, lie.
Data from MarineTraffic showed the ship sailing up the British Channel on Tuesday night and stopping two nautical miles off Minehead around 11pm, where it remained stationary until 2pm on Wednesday.
A coastguard surveillance aeroplane, registered G-HMGC, appeared to scramble from Newquay and spent half an hour circling the ship on Wednesday morning, according to FlightRadar. The Royal Navy reportedly deployed a Wildcat helicopter to survey the ship, according to The Telegraph. It has since moved south and was last spotted off the coast of the Isles of Scilly.
The ship came within less than a mile of several undersea data cables, including the TGN Atlantic cable system, which connects Britain to New Jersey. A pair of cables, part of the TGN Western Europe cable system, connects the UK to Spain and Portugal. Another cable, EXA Express, links the UK to Nova Scotia in Canada.
Sinegorsk’s last recorded port call was three weeks ago at Arkhangelsk, Russia, a major trading port where Russia’s Northern Fleet has a naval base, shipping data confirms.
While it is understood that the Sinegorsk is not part of the Russian shadow fleet, it is the latest Russian vessel to cause concern amid a growing number of incursions in British waters since Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago.
The term, shadow fleet, is used to describe Russia’s practice of using an old collection of ships, often tankers flying under false flags, in order to smuggle sanctioned goods, such as oil.
The Ministry of Defence has imposed sanctions on over 500 Russia-related shadow fleet oil tankers and 16 LNG tankers to date, forcing 200 ships off the seas, believed to be almost half of its capacity.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “Deterring, disrupting and degrading the Russian shadow fleet is a priority for this government – alongside our allies, we are stepping up our response to shadow vessels.
“We are acutely aware of the threat posed by Russia, which includes attempts to map undersea cables, networks, and pipelines belonging to both the UK and our allies, and we are tackling these threats head-on. The Royal Navy constantly monitors our seas, including safeguarding critical infrastructure such as underwater cables and offshore structures.”
First sea lord general Sir Gwyn Jenkins warned in December that there had been a “30 per cent increase in Russian incursion in our waters” just over the past two years.
The activity is most visibly seen in the presence of Russian spy ships like the Yantar operating near UK waters, he said, but warned: “It’s what’s going on under the waves that most concerns me.”
“I can also tell you today that the advantage that we have enjoyed in the Atlantic since the end of the Second World War is at risk,” Sir Gwyn said. “We are holding on, but not by much. There is no room for complacency. Our would-be opponents are investing billions. We have to step up, or we will lose that advantage.
“We cannot let that happen, as the Secretary of State for Defence said recently in his message direct to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, we see you and we know what you are doing.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We issued a clear warning as a first step to the SINEGORSK vessel to leave UK waters after it entered to undertake essential safety repairs. This directive has been complied with, and the vessel has left UK waters.
“We continue to take strong action against Russian-flagged ships, as well as to deter, disrupt and degrade the shadow fleet by stepping up our response through tough sanctions.”
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