A Russian cargo vessel that spent 14 hours anchored less than a mile from five transatlantic undersea data cables had to be chased out of British waters by a Royal Navy attack helicopter this week, The Telegraph reports. The incident, reported on Tuesday, is a sign of the growing importance of undersea infrastructure, which links nations and carries vast amounts of communication data, and the increased vigilance over its protection.
According to the report, a cargo vessel by the name of Sinegorsk sailed into the Bristol Channel on Tuesday night, dropping anchor at around 11 pm local time. The ship loitered until 2 pm the next day, before the Royal Navy dispatched a Wildcat helicopter from Yeovilton naval air station in Somerset. The solo chopper was enough to encourage the rogue vessel to upsticks and leave, with no reports of any damage or sabotage in its wake. The vessel's last recorded call to port was three weeks ago, at the headquarters of the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet.
