Royal Navy helicopter forces Russian vessel away from major undersea internet cables in British waters

The Russian cargo ship Sinegorsk (IMO: 9261061) was forced out of British territorial waters after a Royal Navy helicopter appeared on the scene, The Telegraph reported on Jan. 29. The vessel had been anchored in the Bristol Channel near undersea communication cables linking the UK with the United States, Canada, Spain and Portugal.

According to data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, Sinegorsk last called at port three weeks earlier, on Jan. 5, in the northern Russian city of Arkhangelsk. On the evening of Jan. 27, the ship entered the Bristol Channel and stopped about two nautical miles from the town of Minehead in Somerset. Several undersea telecommunications cables run within one kilometer of the anchorage point, including major lines connecting the UK with New York and Nova Scotia.