British Helicopter Chases Russian Ship Away from Submarine Cables

In Bristol Bay, the British military forced the Russian cargo ship SINEGORSK to leave territorial waters after it stopped near transatlantic communication cables.

The incident occurred on January 27, when the ship dropped anchor 3.7 km off the coast of Somerset, according to The Telegraph.

The ship’s mooring location was less than 1.8 km from the undersea telecommunications cables connecting Britain with the US, Canada, Spain, and Portugal.

The Russian side explained the stop as “necessary repair work,” but the British ordered it to leave the area immediately.

After a 14-hour wait, a Wildcat combat helicopter scrambled from the Yeovilton airbase in Somerset and approached the ship. This forced the Russian crew to weigh anchor and head out to the open sea.

According to MarineTraffic, the SINEGORSK last entered port three weeks ago in Arkhangelsk, which is not only a commercial center but also the headquarters of the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet.

At the time of the incident, the ship was in close proximity to five cable systems, including TGN Atlantic, EXA Express, and VSNL Western Europe.